The long-settled issue of the widening of Mahatma Phule Road has resurfaced after 17 years, creating fresh legal and financial challenges for the Belagavi City Corporation. A family whose land was acquired for the road widening in 2009 has approached the Supreme Court of India, seeking enhanced compensation.
Earlier, a lower court had directed the Corporation to pay ₹65 lakh as compensation. Although the amount was eventually deposited, the affected family refused to accept it, terming it inadequate, and has now escalated the matter to the Supreme Court. The delay in implementing the lower court’s order had earlier led to coercive steps, including attempts to seize the official vehicle of the Deputy Commissioner (Revenue), prompting the Corporation to release the payment.
This case adds to the growing list of litigations facing the Corporation. While the Chavat Gali School-related matter is already pending before the Supreme Court, the Mahatma Phule Road compensation dispute has now joined it, increasing the Corporation’s legal exposure and potential financial liability.
Notably, the Mahatma Phule Road widening was carried out in 2009 under the Urban Redevelopment Scheme. At the time, public representatives had stated that the Municipal Corporation had no direct role in the funding. However, the responsibility for compensation has now clearly fallen on the Corporation, making the case particularly significant.
Similar precedents have resulted in substantial payouts. In the RPD Road widening case, the Karnataka High Court, Dharwad Bench had ordered compensation after delays in land acquisition, eventually forcing the Corporation to directly purchase the land. More recently, the same bench directed the Corporation to pay ₹2.18 crore as compensation for the road widening in front of Shivsruthi.
With the Supreme Court now seized of the Mahatma Phule Road matter, all eyes are on whether the compensation will be enhanced and how this will impact the Corporation’s already strained finances—an issue that has drawn the close attention of corporators and citizens alike.