Mysore/Mysuru: A couple of days after two MDA sites in Vijayanagar fourth stage measuring 20x30ft and 50x80ft went for a whopping Rs. 2 crore and Rs. 9 crore respectively in a MDA e-auction, State BJP OBC Morcha President Raghu Kautilya said that such shocking prices in e-auction might be a hidden attempt to boost the sagging real estate sector in Mysuru, which has been witnessing a downward trend  following the unearthing of 50:50 alternative sites allotment scam last year.

Addressing the media persons at BJP Office in Chamarajapuram here this morning, Raghu said that the 50:50 alternative sites allotment scam in the then MUDA is one of the biggest scams in the State, resulting in a loss of thousands of crores to the Government. Subsequently, the Government scrapped MUDA and established a new Authority— Mysuru Development Authority (MDA). The MDA, which recently e-auctioned 200 of its sites, has announced that a 20×30 ft site in Vijayanagar went for Rs. 2 crore, while a 50×80 ft site in the same locality went for  Rs. 9 crore, which has shocked everyone.

“Upon coming to know that these 2 sites have been sold much higher than the market price, one suspects that the real estate may have played its hand as a ploy to revive the sagging real estate sector in Mysuru.  The real estate demand in Mysuru had gone down after the unearthing of the mega MUDA alternative sites scam last year and in this backdrop, it seems that the real estate sector, in a bid to rise its head again, has pushed up the site prices in e-auction multiple times that of the prevalent market rates”, he noted.

Continuing, Raghu said, “Though the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has directed the Sub-Registrar offices not to register the sites allotted under 50:50 sites plan, the MDA has not taken any action in this regard. The Government is yet to make public the Justice P.N. Desai Commission Report on the MUDA sites scam probe. This apart, the Lokayukta probe and the case being heard in the Special Court for People’s Representatives seem to be concentrated only on the allotment of 14 alternative sites to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s family, while there seems to be no action on the part of the Government to get back the other looted sites, running up to as high as 5,000 in number. This apathy of the Congress Government to retain the sites, has been a cause of great concern to the members of the public who are waiting in queue for decades to get a site of their own”.

“The Government should have confiscated such illegally allotted sites and subsequently issued a notification cancelling the allotment. But the Government has not taken any steps in this regard and the Deputy Commissioner, who is also the Chairman of the newly formed MDA, should publicly come up with facts and figures on the status of these sites. Such an announcement would largely help gullible buyers from getting cheated or falling prey to fraudsters”, he said while wondering why MDA is silent on this matter.

Going by the developments, prima facie, it seems that the Government is trying to hush up the entire MUDA scam and thus save the scamsters from legal action and other consequences. Though the MUDA sites scam is a huge one, the Government has not bothered to act against any errant top officials and one of the reasons is that the CM’s family is allegedly involved, he said.

“The MDA should immediately publish the status in detail of all sites allotted under the 50:50 ratio alternative sites allotment scheme. The Government should also disclose the names of all the allottees along with their profession and background and clarify whether these sites have been confiscated by the MDA as directed by the ED,” he urged and warned that a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) would be filed in the Top Court if the Government continues to display its hidden agenda, trickery and apathy behind the non-disclosure of details of illegally allotted sites and their confiscation.

BJP office-bearers Cable Mahesh, Mahesh Raje Urs, B.M. Santosh Kumar and Papanna were present at the press meet.