Building demolition: MLA appeals people to stop smear campaign

Mangaluru: Puttur MLA Ashok Kumar Rai said that he has no personal interests with regard to the demolition of a private building in Puttur. He said that the old building was demolished by devotees only to facilitate the festival rituals of Sri Mahalingeshwara Temple in Puttur and for the convenience of devotees. The MLA appealed to the people not to engage in smear campaigns.At a press conference on Monday, the MLA said that the festival was celebrated vibrantly with all rituals, with thousands of devotees participating in it. "We have made all facilities for the convenience of the devotees and for the smooth conduct of the festival. However, an allegation related to the demolition of an old building is being levelled against us. We did not oppose demolition since the space constraints affected the temple festival rituals," he said.Stating that the safety of devotees is important, the MLA said that people will blame the MLA, district administration, police and the temple committee if a stampede takes place due to space constraints during the festival. "We have plans to develop the temple by providing all necessary infrastructure and thereby attracting a large number of devotees," he added.He alleged that he received death threats from miscreants posing as officials from the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) and the Income Tax (IT) Department in connection with the demolition of an old building near the Mahalingeshwara Temple. "I first received the threats on WhatsApp and later got calls in Hindi," Rai said. When asked why he did not report the matter to the police, he stated that he did not take the threats seriously."I have enemies waiting for an opportunity to pull me down. I am prepared to face hundreds of such threats for Lord Mahalingeshwara," he added.Uppinangady temple developmentThe MLA said that a proposal has been prepared to develop the Sahasralingeshwara Temple in Uppinangady at an estimated cost of Rs 352 crore. He said the govt is expected to approve the proposal within 15-20 days to develop the temple in lines of Kudala Sangama. Various development works, including facilities for ‘pinda pradhana' rituals, construction of a retaining wall for the river, road and a dam, will be completed within two years once the proposal is approved, he added.