Will trucks ply on Hampi bridge?

Hampi was deemed a world heritage site in 1986 by Unesco, only to be put on the list of â€˜â€˜endangeredâ€™â€™ world heritage sites 15 years later. Reason: unchecked heritage vandalism and ruinous developments at this ancient site of the Vijayanagar kingdom. Appalled by the encroachments, illegal constructions, sly demolition of minor monuments and ill-conceived infrastructural schemes, notably the construction of a bridge over the Tungabhadra river flowing through the temple-studded precinct, Unesco threatened at the time to delist Hampi if things were not set right.The 40-sq-km site consists of about 500 major temples and 1,000 lesser shrines built between 1336 and 1536 by various Vijayanagar kings. It is administered by both the ASI and the Karnataka state archaeology department. The Matanga Parvatam and the core area are under the state archaeology department, while the rest of the site is under the ASI, which has notified 55 monuments.Hampiâ€™s fate continues to hang in the balance. Unesco World Heritage Centre deputy director Minja Yang, who visited the site yet again last month, reportedly expressed a measure of satisfaction with the remedial steps taken by the state in the last two years but warned that much more needed to be done.Ruing the fact that the Karnataka government had proceeded to build the Anekundi bridge though Unesco was opposed to it, Yang said that the (half-complete) bridge could be completed but should be used only as a stop-gap arrangement for light traffic, with a bypass being provided for traffic coming from Anekundi to Talwarghatta. She said Unesco would like the the bridge to be demolished within five years as it was not only spoiling the scenic beauty of Hampi but also increasing the pressure on the delicate monuments around.Karnataka government officials, including department of Kannada and Culture secretary CS Kedar say that the state cabinet has already approved the required bypass and the land acquisition process has begun. â€˜â€˜The site management plan demanded by Unesco is also being prepared under the supervision of Intach,â€™â€™ said Kedar.However, historians in Bangalore, Hampi and Mumbai such as Chidananda Murthy, V Balasubrahmaniam and Anila Verghese lament that there is no let-up in the damage to Hampi. Tonnes of stone are being carted away from smaller shrines daily for illegal construction, encroachments and fly-by-night lodges are springing up all the time, the hippie drug and hawker menace continues and hygiene in the Virupaksha temple area leaves much to be desired. â€˜â€˜Plus, work on the Anekundi bridge, which stopped during the UN teamâ€™s visit, is likely to commence any day now,â€™â€™ fears historian and Kannada Ithihas Academy chairman Suryanath Kamath, whose group has been crusading to save Hampi. â€˜â€˜We intend to file a PIL to stop the work if it restarts,â€™â€™ he adds.

TOI

Will trucks ply on Hampi bridge?