Road widening works begin at 1000-pillar temple

WARANGAL: Finally, roads leading to the historic 1000-pillar temple in Hanamkonda are being expanded. The Kakatiya Urban Development Author i t y (KUDA) has taken up the widening works by dismantling 13 houses on either side of road near the temple on NH-202.The road widening proposals were shelved for the last 15 years after the residents near the temple did not agree to shift from the place.However, joint collector Vakati Karuna, who is also the vice-chairperson of KUDA, pacified the resident and even promised to pay compensation.The Archaeology department is supposed to the compensation to the displaced but with delay in release of funds, KUDA officials allocated `5 crore for this purpose.KUDA paid `2.46 crore as compensation to the 13 displaced families and the remaining amount would be spent on laying the 100-feet road.For the last four days, the road works have been going on at a faster pace.The removal of houses will give a facelift to the historic temple as it would become visible to pilgrims from the national highway.The temple is visited by many pilgrims both from the country and from abroad.“We are planning to take up gardening works also apart from the road widening works,” KUDA planning officer Ajit Reddy said.Priest Gangu Upendra Sarma urged KUDA to make the temple premises also green.KUDA claims to have paid compensation to the displaced but one Anwar Masood, one of the evacuees, said that his house was demolished even without payment of money.“KUDA paid compensation only to 111 square yards while I actually lost 214 square yards to the project,” he said.