Mangaluru : Villagers of Dharmastala and surrounding villages demanded that permission should not be granted for the construction of new hotels and guest houses within two kilometers radius of Sri Kshetra Dharmastala.

A delegation of villagers led by Dharmastala gram panchayat vice president Shrinivas Rao submitted a memorandum to chief minister B S Yediyurappa through Belthangady MLA Harish Poonja on Sunday.

The government should take necessary steps to ban construction of private hotels and guest houses in surrounding areas of Dharmastala temple, villagers urged.

“Dharmastala temple, which has a history of eight centuries and a part of district’s heritage, also has been hailed as a centre for religious harmony. Thousands of devotees visit the temple and offer prayers to the deity of Manjunatha. The temple town has been recognised nationally as a clean religious shrine in the country. The Supreme Court of India also has noted that the temple is a model for all other shrines in the country. All shops in the temple town have voluntarily stopped selling beedis, cigarettes, chewable tobacco products and other substances. However, we have noticed plans of construction of hotels and guest houses in the village. This will lead to desecration of the temple town,” villagers stated in the memorandum.

The MLA said, he will bring the issue to the notice of the chief minister and decide on taking a suitable decision.