Demolish mosque-shaped bus stop on Mysuru-Ooty road, NHAI tells civic body citing communal issues

New Delhi: National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has issued a notice to Mysuru City Corporation asking it to remove the controversial dome-shaped bus stop on Mysuru-Ooty road, citing communal issues.Granting the civic body a week's time to remove the structure, the NHAI in its notice highlighted that the controversial structure has given rise to some communal issues."The bus stop has been constructed even though many times our engineers have stopped the work within the National Highway right of way. In this connection, it is advised to remove the structure constructed to achieve controversial kind of issues which is not acceptable and accordingly one week's time have been given to remove the structure," the notice dated 15 November read."Since it has developed communal issues as per the National Highway Administration Act, this may be treated as a notice otherwise as per the Highway Administration Act 2003 action will be initiated," the notice further read.The NHAI issued the notice days after Mysuru's BJP MP Pratap Simha stirred up a controversy by threatening to pull down the bus stop's roof – which he compared to a mosque – if the concerned officials did not do so.“I have seen images on social media of a bus stand on which there were gumbaz (domes). At the centre, there was a big gumbaz and besides that, there were two smaller gumbaz… it is a masjid. I have asked Karnataka Rural Infrastructure Development Limited engineers to remove it within 3-4 days, or else I have told them that I will bulldoze it with a JCB,” Simha had said while addressing a cultural event in Mysuru on 13 November.Meanwhile, Krishnaraja constituency BJP MLA, SA Ramdas, gave a clarification on the construction of the bus stand saying that the bus stop was built to give it a resemblance of Mysore Palace.The Mysuru district administration, however, has decided against the demolition, reportedly at the direction of the chief minister's office, Times of India quoted the sources as saying.Ramdas, who was upset with Simha, met Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Wednesday and reportedly complained about the MP."Following this, the district administration held a meeting and decided to inform NHAI authorities that the bus shelter will continue to remain till they take up road widening work," the report quoted the official sources as saying.With inputs from agenciesRead all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News,India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.