BJP MLA urges govt. to cancel all 4,350 MUDA sites allotted under 50:50 scheme

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BJP MLA T.S. Srivatsa addressing a press conference, in Mysuru on Sunday. | Photo Credit: M.A. Sriram

BJP MLA T.S. Srivatsa has urged the government to cancel the allotment of all the 4,350 sites made by the erstwhile Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) between 2019 and 2023 under the controversial 50:50 ratio scheme.

Addressing a press conference in Mysuru on Sunday, Mr Srivatsa said the MUDA, which has now been rechristened as Mysuru Development Authority (MDA), had allotted a total of about 4,350 sites between 2019 and 2024 under the controversial scheme.

Yet, the Minister for Urban Development Yathindra Siddaramaiah said the government has now cancelled the allotment of sites made under the scheme after March 14, 2023. “Why have the sites allotted between 2019 and 2023 been spared?”, he questioned.

He said the Urban Development Department had issued an order dated March 14, 2023 questioning the MUDA’s decision to allot sites under the controversial 50:50 ratio scheme from May 10, 2019. “Yet, the government has not cancelled all the sites allotted under the scheme since 2019”, he said.

Mr. Srivatsa brought up the issue of allotment of 14 sites by MUDA to former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s wife Parvathi in lieu of her land acquired for developing Devanur third stage layout that had sparked a political row and led to an investigation by the Lokayukta. The sites had since been surrendered to the MUDA.

Claiming that Ms. Parvathi, while surrendering the sites, had stated that she had been misled, the BJP MLA wondered why the ruling Congress was protecting the then MUDA Commissioner D.B. Natesh, who was at the helm of the Authority when the sites were allotted.

He questioned why no action had been taken against Mr. Natesh, who had misled Ms Parvathi. “Aren’t you protecting the one who embarrassed your mother?”, he asked.

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