HUBBALLI: It has been nearly a decade since a proposal to develop a dedicated protest zone in the twin cities, along the lines of Freedom Park in Bengaluru, was submitted to the Hubballi-Dharwad Municipal Corporation (HDMC), but it is no closer to being realised in 2021 than it was in 2012.
It was the pressing need to prevent assemblies and demonstrations at Kittur Chennamma (KC) Circle at the heart of Hubballi that impelled the authorities to contemplate the creation of a dedicated zone for protests.
Demonstrations at KC Circle nigh invariably lead to traffic pile-up in most thoroughfares of Hubballi and Dharwad, since the circle is a nodal point connecting the twin cities to various national highways and the airport.
In 2012, then twin cities’ police commissioner BA Padmanayan had sought the HDMC’s cooperation to have KC Circle declared a protest-free zone.
However, the proposal never took off the ground owing to the HDMC’s failure to identify an ideal spot for the purpose. Although succeeding HDMC commissioners CM Noormansur and Siddalingayya Hiremath did identify what they deemed an ideal location for the purpose, in addition to earmarking enough funds, the apathetic attitude of the authorities resulted in the project being pushed to the backburner.
Activist Dr MC Sindhur said, “In a democratic setup, raising one’s voice against the actions of the government is a right all of us are entitled to. The civic authorities must actively consider the proposal by police and set up an exclusive protest zone in such a location where it is least inconvenient to the public.”
Legal hurdle HDMC commissioner Suresh Itnal attributed the delay in notifying the dedicated protest zone near MG Park to a legal problem. “Once we clear the legal hurdle, that space will be declared an exclusive protest zone,” Itnal said.