BENGALURU: In a move mired in controversy, the residence of former Karnataka chief minister and AICC president S Nijalingappa in Chitradurga was finally sold to the Karnataka government, ending a four-year delay.
The sale was finalised for about Rs 1 crore below market value. The property, a piece of Karnataka’s rich political history and built almost a decade before India’s Independence, was transferred to the state by Nijalingappa’s son, Kiran Shankar, through the jurisdictional tahsildar. Shankar had served as chief architect for the Karnataka government.
The sale comes just ahead of the landmark AICC Congress session in Belagavi, marking the centennial of the Congress session of 1924, which was attended by Mahatma Gandhi. While the sale was agreed upon four years ago, it was delayed time and again by what many allege to be “gross bureaucratic inefficiency’’. The question now being raised is, what’s behind the dramatic price cut?
Former MLC Mohan Kondajji, who coordinated with the state on this matter, voiced his frustration over the endless delays. “After so many years of needless holdups, the sale has finally come through.
But now, the government must act swiftly and convert the house into a museum to honour the legacy of S Nijalingappa,” Kondajji said. “For the last four years, the file has been collecting dust due to the apathy of the Chitradurga district administration.”
A year ago, Nijalingappa’s grandson, Vinay, arrived from the US to finalize the sale, but officials threw up obstacles, preventing the registration from going through. For years, officials have stonewalled the process, Kondajji revealed.
The residence holds historical significance, standing testament to the life of one of Karnataka’s most influential political figures.
Though funds were released four years ago for Nijalingappa’s memorial, the government has failed to move ahead with it. On the late leader’s 121st birth anniversary, there were demands for immediate action on the long-delayed memorial.