Prime properties in Mysuru city’s Central Business District turn illegal parking centres

Mysuru: The Central Business District (CBD) of Mysuru city is perpetually abuzz with the bustle of hectic activity – it is after all, the address of nearly all the tourist destinations of the Heritage City – and finding a parking spot is certainly a demanding exercise for motorists. However, turning prime properties owned by the Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) into illegal parking centres is not the solution to this problem, and yet, that is exactly what has happened. Given their location, the cash-strapped MCC should be trying its best to increase its revenue by monetising these properties, but the reality could not be more different – the civic agency’s negligence has turned these properties into parking lots, and spots where street food vendors sell tea and other knickknacks.
In accordance with a decision arrived at an MCC Council meeting a few years ago, these properties were to be leased for a period of 30 years. However, only two of the properties in the CBD have been leased, and two fuel stations are presently operating on Sayyajirao Road. However, two sites at Ramaswamy Circle and on Jhansi Lakshmi Bai Road have been lying unused for the past many years.
Kuvempunagar M Block’s BJP corporator Sunanda Palanetra said that she had been fighting to help the civic agency earn revenue from the properties in the heart of the city for the past 15 years. “I have raised this issue on multiple occasions at the MCC Council. But no MCC commissioner in all these years has acted on my suggestions. In fact, in one instance, I parked my two-wheeler at one of these sites, and was charged Rs 20 for it, although such an activity is not at all legal. Owing to the negligence of the MCC officials, the agency’s property at Ramaswamy Circle has turned into a parking centre, whereas the site behind the MCC office on Sayyajirao Road has become a streetfood park,” Sunanda told TOI.
Likening herself to the mythical ‘Betal’ from the ‘Vikram and Betal’ story in Indian mythology – Betal, in Indian phraseology, has become a metaphor for a relentlessly persistent individual – Sunanda said, “Rest assured, I will not remain quiet about this problem. I will ensure that this problem is solved.”
MCC’s deputy commissioner for revenue TB Kumara Naik told TOI that he had directed his subordinates to gather all the necessary documents, and file a report on the subject. “We will discuss this issue at the MCC Council meeting and we will decide to either lease the property, or fix the rent based on the assessment of the public works department. We will assess both options, but either one has to be approved , first by the MCC Council and then by the government,” he said.