Mysore/Mysuru: First Adalat launched by the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) last afternoon under the leadership of Chairman Yashaswi S. Somashekar received a good response and people crowded the counters for a speedy resolution of their land use problems.

Over 250 residents of the city came with applications for change in land use, khata transfer, drinking water problems, possession certificate, site allotment and other basic amenities in MUDA layouts that are yet to be transferred to the Mysuru City Corporation (MCC). It also included the issues like alternative sites, bit of land sanction, possession certificate, revenue fixing, land acquisition compensation and civic amenities.

Development of vacant plots

While many residents demanded improvements in the infrastructure, residents of CFTRI Layout in Bogadi 2nd Stage told the MUDA Chairman and Commissioner G.T. Dinesh Kumar that one person had occupied a CA site and space earmarked for a garden. “While the Karnataka High Court has ruled that the property belonged to MUDA, no improvement works have been taken up even after years,” the residents said.

They said that the CFTRI Layout was formed 30 years ago and the members of the Residents Welfare Association are moving from pillar to post for facilities, civic amenities and other issues. The residents demanded immediate development of vacant plots and CA sites so that no one else encroaches on them.

Hearing their plea, Somashekar and Dinesh Kumar assured the residents that officers would carry out study of the Layout soon and come up with an action plan.

Other issues that came up in the Adalat were delay in issuing khata, delay in fixing tax for residential buildings, non-availability of CA sites and lack of space for parks and green areas.

Nataraju, an applicant, told the MUDA Chairman that he has purchased a plot from first party in Lal Bahadur Shastri Nagar. “I have been denied the sale deed and documents and I fear that someone will occupy my site,” he said.

Commissioner Dinesh Kumar said that there are some issues in issuing land documents at Vasanthnagar and R.T. Nagar and the issue has been brought to the attention of the State Government.

MUDA site application nears 28 years

Dakshayani, a resident of Janata Nagar, said that she had applied for a MUDA site 28 years back. “I have come to the MUDA office hundreds of times and every time, the officers tell me that I have mentioned my birth date wrong,” she recounted. The MUDA Chairman assured her of a site in the upcoming layouts.

A few residents requested MUDA to allot the vacant first-floor houses in the Asha Mandira project at Sharadadevi Nagar. Shivaswamy of Kergalli alleged that even though he gave up 4.08 acres of land for the MUDA Ravishankar Layout under Survey Nos. 159/4, 159/4, 153/6 and 170/6, he was only granted only one site. He asked officials to follow the bylaw rules and sanction him sites according to the law.

Residents of Lalithadri Nagar (South) Layout alleged that they are yet to get Cauvery or Kabini water. Residents of Bogadi SBM Layout urged the MUDA to hand over their layout to Srirampura Town Panchayat and said that this process was delayed.

At the Adalat, over 20 issues were solved on the spot and two khatas were sanctioned. On the complaints that certain private layout developers reneged on the promises made while customers purchased the sites, the MUDA Chairman ordered the officers to issue notices and seek explanations. Next MUDA Adalat will be held on the fourth Tuesday of this month where all the pending applications in this Adalat will be heard and resolved.

MUDA Adalat every month

The MUDA Adalat will be held every second and fourth Tuesday of every month and will hear public grievances on all MUDA approvals and services and other public services that have been pending like land use information, alternative sites, pending compensation for land acquired, khata transfer, possession certificate, etc. However, no new applications for house sites will be received at the Adalat.