Hubballi: Veteran journalist Patil Puttappa has threatened to go on a fast, condemning the government’s delay and inaction in stopping the conversion of a playground at Deshpande Nagar in Hubballi into a sports and recreation club.
In a letter to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Puttappa has reminded him of the promise he had made during his visit to Puttappa’s residence about making the ground available for public use.
At the same time, Puttappa has said that perhaps because of workload, it might not have been possible for the chief minister to take up the playground issue. “But it is high time chief minister took steps to get the playground back to the people. In the inquiry report submitted by the (former) deputy commissioner of Dharwad (Sameer Shukla), it has been clearly mentioned that the playground is for public use,” he has said.
The issue had its beginning in 2010, when a Bhoomi Puja was performed for the project in 2010 by the then RDPR Minister Jagadish Shettar. The initial opposition subsided after those protesting realised that the project reportedly had the support of leaders in the BJP government.
However, with the change in the government, Puttappa took charge of the agitation as honorary president of the Hubli Sports Ground Bachao Samiti and several others joined it.
After it came to be known that the proposed recreation club would have a bar, the residents of the locality too raised their voice.
Prior to the construction of the recreation club, the ground was used for playing various games and even for public functions.
