The move comes amid growing demands from various organisations for action against unauthorised lodges.
Of the 76 lodges operating at the prominent pilgrimage centre in Hanur taluk, only 33 are registered and have obtained permission from the gram panchayat and police. The remaining 43 are operating without the required permissions, officials said. The issue has assumed greater significance with the sharp increase in the number of devotees visiting the shrine since the state govt introduced the Shakti scheme, which provides free travel to women on state transport buses.
Kollegal subdivision deputy superintendent of police Mohan said police will convene a meeting of all lodge owners at MM Hills by the first week of next month and direct them to register with the gram panchayat, obtain police permission and secure a no-objection certificate from the fire department. “Illegal lodges will be shut down if they fail to comply with the rules,” he said. Chamarajanagar additional deputy commissioner T Javaregowda said deputy commissioner Srirupa will soon initiate action against illegal lodges operating near the MM Hills shrine. Registered accommodations allow verification of guests’ identities and are required to have CCTV cameras, while unregistered establishments continue to flout safety, structural and legal norms, officials and residents said.
Mysuru: A police and administrative crackdown is set to target illegal lodges operating around the Male Mahadeshwara (MM) Hills shrine, with authorities planning to shut establishments that fail to obtain mandatory permissions. The move comes amid growing demands from various organisations and devotees for action against unauthorised lodges and homestays at the pilgrimage centre that pose a security threat.
The Male Mahadeshwara temple generates more than Rs 100 crore annually and records around 65 lakh visitors, according to the Shree Malai Mahadeshwara Swamy Kshethra Development Authority. MM Hills gram panchayat currently collects Rs 15-20 lakh annually from the 33 registered lodges through water cess, property cess, licence renewal fees, sanitation charges. With 43 lodges operating outside the registration system, the govt is losing lakhs of rupees in revenue every year, said Mahadevaswamy, a resident of Tambadagiri in MM Hills.
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Baradanapura Nagaraj, general secretary of the Chamarajanagar farmers’ federation and secretary of the state sugarcane growers’ association, said the association had already brought the issue to the district administration’s notice and sought action against illegal guest houses and lodges at MM Hills. The issue also has a revenue dimension. Download the TOI App.