Mysuru:  Nearly five years of struggle of thousands of residents of Siddarthanagar, K.C. Nagar, J.C. Nagar and Alanahalli, coming under Kurubarahalli Survey No.4 and Alanahalli Survey No.41 living in the MUDA-allotted layouts is likely to end with the coming to power of the new Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy.  Some of these layouts were formed about 40 years ago.

Over 200 members of Kurubarahalli Sy. No. 4, Alanahalli Sy. No. 41 Residents Welfare Association met Kumaraswamy this morning at 10.30 in the premises of the Suttur Mutt.

The delegation was led by President of the Association  B.P. Manjunath.

The residents were waiting for the CM since 8.30 am to submit a memorandum to resolve the vexed  problem wherein the government had declared these MUDA layouts along with  other lands coming under Survey Number 4 and 41 as ‘B Kharab’ (government land) thereby suddenly refusing to issue Khata for the properties, approve building plan, issue completion certificate, etc., causing inconvenience and loss to property owners who are unable to raise money by mortgaging the properties in times of financial problems or to sell the properties.

The lands had been legally purchased by over 25,000 residents from City Improvement Trust Board (CITB) (now MUDA) in 1970s. The government had declared 205.09 acres at Siddarthanagar, 105 acres at K.C. Nagar and 44.02 acres at J.C. Nagar as ‘B Kharab’. In all, classification covers 354.11 acres of land.

The problem has been hanging fire since five years and the earlier Congress government, during whose period the problem was created, did not at all bother to find a solution and give relief to the residents. As a result, hundreds of residents had held protest demonstrations in front of MUDA, DC’s Office and even at the K.C. Nagar Sangolli Rayanna Circle without any result.

In fact, about 6 months before the May Assembly election, when the residents came to know that the then Chief Minister Siddharamaiah was visiting a friend’s house behind Dr. Narasaiah’s Hospital in Siddarthanagar at 7 pm, over 250 of them went there to submit a memorandum in this regard. However, when they approached him, while coming out of the house, he simply walked to his car and drove away without even receiving the memorandum.

In sharp contrast this morning when about 200 people were waiting for the new Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy at the premises of the Suttur Mutt, the Police allowed 7 persons to hand over the memorandum to the CM who was in his car. Accordingly, when they gave the memorandum and mentioned about their problems, Kumaraswamy, seeing the people in such a large number, got down from the car and walked up to those people with the memorandum in his hand which he quickly went through and assured them saying “None of you need to worry about this problem. I am told that you have been waiting here since early in the morning. I will discuss the matter with the officers concerned and personally find a solution for your problems.” So saying, he got into the car and drove towards the main building of the Suttur Mutt.

Earlier to this, the office-bearers of the Welfare Association and members met Suttur Seer Sri Shivarathri Deshikendra Swamiji while he was waiting for the CM and sought his blessings for the speedy solution to this problem showing him the envelope containing the memorandum. The Swamiji placed his hand on the cover and said, “You are doing what is good for the society. You have my blessings for your efforts.”

Among the office-bearers who met the CM were the President of the Kurubarahalli Survey No. 4, Alanahalli Survey Number 41 Residents Welfare Association B.P. Manjunath, Vice President and former Deputy Mayor Mahadevamma, Secretary Muralidhar, Corporator P. Mallesh and Jain community leader Prakash Jain.

It is a reflection on the earlier Congress Government which mercilessly ignored the innumerable pleas and requests of the residents of these MUDA layouts who were suddenly pushed into a “No Man’s Land Residents” kind of a situation by a sudden knee-jerk kind of an order affecting these layouts because one MLC had made some wild allegations. In response, the government simply issued a blanket order for all the lands that came under Kurubarahalli Survey No. 4, Alanahalli Survey Number 41 without exempting the MUDA layouts which the government itself had approved. It is strange the government is saying that it did not approve the lands on which MUDA layouts were formed.