Mysuru: Delay in development work at Kallahalli village, the native of former chief minister D Devaraj Urs, has come under criticism from people of various walks of life.Former CM Siddaramaiah had announced to take up the improvement of the village in Hunsur taluk as one of the tourist attractions by constructing a memorial, establishment of a museum and initiating a slew of other development works at a cost of Rs 10 crore during his birth centenary celebrations on Aug 20, 2014.The plan included construction of Urs Bhavan at Hunsur at a cost of Rs 7 crore.Yet, even after 12 years, development work at Kallahalli remains a dream.Soon after the then CM had laid the foundation, implementing agency Nirmithi Kendra renovated the ancestral home belonging to the Urs family, but most of the work remains incomplete.The road connecting the burial ground of D Devaraj Urs is ridden with potholes.The house of Kannada writer Chaturanga, adjacent to Devaraj Urs‘, also needs attention.Kallahalli, the gram panchayat headquarters, still operates from an old country-tiled house belonging to the D Devaraj Urs family. Plans to convert the house into a museum remain a distant dream, while the village library is in a dilapidated condition and Urs’ burial place has also received little attention.Urs Bhavan in Hunsur town, on the road connecting to the national highway, remains incomplete. Though Nirmithi Kendra has completed the main building and most interior works, including tiling, painting, verandah flooring, park development and other external works remain pending due to lack of funds.Nirmithi Kendra assistant executive engineer Raksshith said the agency had completed the building and interior works using the Rs 7 crore sanctioned by the govt. It has submitted a fresh proposal to the Backward Classes department seeking an additional Rs 1.96 crore to complete the remaining works, he said.BJP MLC R Raghu said Urs had transformed the lives of millions from underprivileged sections, introduced several reforms and expanded political representation for marginalised communities. Yet, he said, his birthplace, proposed museum, house and burial place remain neglected despite former CM Siddaramaiah’s announcement to develop them.“I appeal to chief minister D K Shivakumar to complete the pending works. I raised the issue during the legislative session last week, drawing the govt’s attention to complete the works at Kallahalli as a fitting tribute to Urs,” he said.
