KOPPAL: The encroachments at Virupapura Gaddi (island) in Gangavati taluk of Koppal district are set to be evicted. The Supreme Court on Tuesday has ordered the district administration to evict the resorts and other structures on island within 30 days.
Hearing the special leave petition which was filed in 2015 by the resort owners on Virupapura Gaddi (island) in Koppal district, the Supreme Court has said that the respondents shall proceed with the demolition of the illegal structures erected by the applicants in Virupapura Gaddi within a month of from the date of order.
There are close to 70 structures build illegally on the revenue land of the large island. A section of structures were brought down a few years ago when Forest Department recovered the encroached parts of Reserve Forest area of the island.
In 2009, the Hampi World Heritage Area Management Authority (HWHAMA), Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and District Administration had sent notices ordering the eviction of structures on the island. But the same was questioned by the resort owners and they moved to High Court.
Meanwhile, in 2016, the Forest Department managed to evict structures on 280 acres of the area of the island. The area has now been fenced and plantation work has been taken up.
The island is near to historical Anegundi, which is visited by almost all the visitors of the world-famous Hampi.
As a result, a number of hotels and resorts came up on the island over the years but illegally.
As these hotels and resorts faced the charge of engaging foreign visitors in illegal activities like unabated drugs consumption, local people in Anegundi and surrounding villages have been demanding their eviction.
Despite district administration making efforts to evict them, the owners of these hotels and resorts enjoyed a good rapport with political power and hence the case dragged on all these years.
During recent floods though officials cautioned these hotels to move visitors to safer places well in advance in August-September last year, the latter neglected the same and allowed tourists stay at the hotels.
As a result, the army had to be called to rescue scores of tourists as the island was left inundated with water from the Tungabhadra River.
The order has come as a shock to resort owners of the island.
"We shall seek assistance from the legal team to check we can appeal over the court's order. The owners are confused and we will be meeting the administration officials soon," said a resort owner from Virupapura island.