3 weeks ago
Bombay HC questions Rs 22-crore spend near Kopeshwar Temple
A very old and beautiful temple called Kopeshwar Temple sits in Khidrapur village in Kolhapur, India.
It was built in the 12th century and is famous for its amazing stone carvings.
The government planned to spend over 22 crore rupees on building a wall and a river step area near the temple.
But the temple itself is damaged, with big cracks in its ceiling and water leaking in.
The Bombay High Court said fixing the temple should come first, before spending so much money on other things.
The court called the spending plans strange and hard to understand when the temple is in urgent need of repair.
A judge even visited the temple during heavy rain and saw water seeping inside.
The court has asked five lawyers to inspect the temple carefully and report back in four weeks.
The next court meeting will be on August 31 to decide what should happen next.
The Bombay High Court's Kolhapur bench questioned a proposed expenditure of over Rs 22 crore on a compound wall and river ghat near the 12th-century Kopeshwar Temple in Khidrapur village, Kolhapur.
The bench said preserving the heritage temple must take precedence over development works, calling the expenditure 'beyond comprehension'.
The proposed spend includes Rs 10 crore for the compound wall and about Rs 12.84 crore for a river ghat being built by MSRDC about 200 metres from the temple.
Justices noted two huge cracks in the temple ceiling, heavy water seepage on the south side, and damage to three of the 48 load-bearing pillars in the outer Swarga Mandap.
The court appointed a five-member committee of advocates to inspect the site and submit a report within four weeks; the next hearing is on August 31.
- Who
- Justices Milind N Jadhav and Nandesh S Deshpande of the Bombay High Court's Kolhapur bench, along with the Archaeological Survey of India and the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation.
- What
- The court questioned over Rs 22 crore in proposed spending on a compound wall and river ghat, ordered that Kopeshwar Temple conservation take precedence, and appointed a five-advocate committee to inspect the site.
- Where
- Kopeshwar Temple in Khidrapur village, Kolhapur, heard at the Bombay High Court's Kolhapur bench.
- When
- Observations were made on August 3; a judge visited the temple on August 1 during heavy rain; the next hearing is on August 31.
- Why
- Because the 12th-century heritage temple faces urgent conservation needs, including cracks in the ceiling, water seepage and damaged pillars, which should take priority over development works.
Conservation First
Development Works
Temple conservation vs. public development spending
Conservation First
The court says urgent conservation of the 12th-century temple must come before public development, calling the Rs 10 crore compound wall 'beyond comprehension' when preservation is not even on the horizon.
Development Works
Authorities proposed spending over Rs 22 crore on a compound wall and river ghat near the temple, indicating they considered these development works necessary and fundable.
Use of the Rs 101 crore restoration corpus
Conservation First
The bench questioned whether expenditures such as the river ghat can be approved from the Rs 101 crore earmarked for restoration of the temple, saying funds cannot be diverted in that fashion.
Development Works
The state's proposed spending suggests it viewed the ghat and wall as valid public development uses of the funds around the heritage site.
Relevance of the river ghat project
Conservation First
The court expressed reservations about the ~Rs 12.84 crore ghat, noting it is about 200 metres from the heritage relic and temple and separated by a road.
Development Works
MSRDC was constructing the ghat as a public amenity, implying the authorities saw it as a valuable development for the area.
Key facts
- Heritage site
- Kopeshwar Temple, Khidrapur village, Kolhapur
- Temple age
- 12th century
- Questioned expenditure
- Over Rs 22 crore (compound wall and river ghat)
- Compound wall cost
- Rs 10 crore
- River ghat cost
- About Rs 12.84 crore (by MSRDC)
- Restoration funds earmarked
- Rs 101 crore
- Damaged pillars
- 3 of 48 load-bearing pillars in Swarga Mandap
- Next hearing
- August 31
Quotes
Justice Milind N Jadhav
Justice of the Bombay High Court, Kolhapur bench
“The temple funds cannot be diverted in this fashion.”
indianexpress.com
Sources
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