‘Muda distributed 4.8k sites, mostly under 50:50 scheme, post-Covid’

Mysuru: Even as Lokayukta police are investigating the allotment of 14 alternative sites to chief minister Siddaramaiah's wife, Parvathi, the Mysore Urban Development Authority (Muda) has come under scrutiny. It had allocated nearly 5,000 sites under the controversial 50:50 scheme in just over three years following the Covid-19 pandemic.
PS Nataraj, a former employee of Muda's planning department, is spearheading the fight against the urban body and is considering filing a writ petition.According to Nataraj, Muda distributed 4,839 sites post-Covid, primarily under the contentious scheme, a claim refuted by Muda officials.
"We launched a fight to expose this scam, but got stuck with CM Siddaramaiah's wife, Parvathi, who had received 14 sites," Nataraj stated. "Even though the battle was against Muda and its staff, Parvathi's case garnered all the attention, overshadowing the entire scam. Opposition parties seized this chance to criticise Congress and their leadership on this matter, even though many others are involved in the larger conspiracy to acquire property belonging to the urban body," he stated.
Nataraj urged other beneficiaries to return the sites received under the controversial scheme, now that Parvathi has returned 14 sites to Muda. He claimed that Muda officials ordered 5,000 bond sheets immediately after Covid, which are used for issuing title deeds and maintaining records of sites distributed by them. Nataraj claimed that Muda now has records of only 1,200 sites.
The controversial scheme was devised a decade ago to encourage landowners to collaborate with the urban body in layout development by providing their lands in exchange for 50% of developed sites. However, despite attempts since 2016 to entice landlords and farmers to spare their land for layout development, the scheme did not succeed. But post-Covid, the urban body began distributing sites it had, even for land acquired retrospectively, resulting in the irregularities, according to the activists.
When contacted, Muda commissioner AN Raghunandan said he is new to the post and is unaware of how many sites have been distributed, but stated that they are assisting the investigation agency and the one-man commission by providing necessary records.