Mysore/Mysuru: Rubbishing Opposition allegations of a scam regarding 3.16 acres of land under Kesare Survey No.464 registered in Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s wife Parvati’s name, District In-charge Minister Dr. H.C. Mahadevappa asserted that the land is legally owned with all requisite documents.

Addressing a press conference at Jaladarshini Guest House this morning, Dr. Mahadevappa clarified that land was auctioned publicly in 1980s by then Mysuru Deputy Commissioner. It was purchased by a bidder named Ninga for Rs. 100 as an earnest deposit. Later, Siddaramaiah’s brother-in-law Mallikarjuna acquired land and subsequently gifted it to Parvati.

It was reported that Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) allocated sites to beneficiaries, including Siddaramaiah’s wife Parvathi, under the 50:50 ratio scheme. This scheme aimed to compensate those who lost their land to MUDA’s acquisition by allotting a portion of developed land from the same area where it was acquired for layout development.

However, it later surfaced that MUDA had violated norms by allotting prime location sites which were highly valuable to landowners. Parvathi was among beneficiaries who received 14 alternative sites of varying sizes in Vijayanagar III and IV Stages in East Mysuru.

Mahadevappa, however, emphasised that the land was not granted illegally, as alleged by the Opposition and announced a thorough investigation into MUDA’s past activities. “Once the probe is concluded, the committee will submit its findings, and the Government will take stringent action against those found guilty of irregularities and fraudulent transactions,” he affirmed.

Responding to queries about attempts to divert attention from the MUDA scam, where sites worth thousands of crores were allegedly allotted illegally, the Minister assured that the investigation will expose the depth of the scam and all involved parties will face consequences based on the report.

Dr. Mahadevappa also announced plans to repeal Section 7(D) of the Karnataka Scheduled Castes Sub-plan (SCSP) and Tribal Sub-Plan (TSP) Act, 2013. This section allowed certain expenditures in exceptional cases, deemed as ‘Deemed expenditure,’ which some Dalit organizations criticized for misuse. He confirmed that funds under this Act will now be strictly allocated as intended.

City Congress President R. Murthy, District President B.J. Vijaykumar, KPCC spokesperson M. Lakshmana, and other party leaders were also present at the press conference.