Three officers and 15 staff members buried in paperwork; 10 lakh pages and counting

By S.T. Ravikumar

Mysuru: In connection with the ongoing investigation into the Mysuru Urban Development Authority’s (MUDA) alleged illegal auctioning of thousands of prime sites in Mysuru city limits under the 50:50 ratio scheme, the One-Man Commission, led by Justice P.N. Desai, has so far procured over 10 lakh pages of photocopied documents since August 2024.

These documents are being sent to the Commission’s office located on the 6th floor of Kumara Krupa Guest House  in Bengaluru.

At MUDA’s office in Mysuru, under the supervision of Special Land Acquisition Officer Manjunath, Special Tahsildar K.V. Rajasekhar and Shruthi from the Site Section and a 15-member team retrieves original files requested by the Commission from the entry-restricted Records Room every day.

The files are photocopied using six machines, each copy is attested and the documents are then packed, transported by car — escorted by two officials — and delivered to the Commission’s office. Each delivery is acknowledged and returned the same day.

Over the last seven months, a staggering 10 lakh pages have been processed in this manner. Inside the Commission’s Bengaluru office, stacks of document bundles have grown so large that even the space allocated to Justice Desai and his supporting staff is reportedly  proving inadequate.

This continuous process of retrieving files, photocopying, attesting and dispatching has required the full-time involvement of three officers and 15 MUDA staff members.

MUDA foots the bill

The MUDA is bearing all expenses related to the investigation. This includes the cost of photocopying machines, electricity, paper, stationery, diesel, driver salaries and other operational needs.

MUDA is also funding expenses related to computers, laptops and administrative costs for the investigating officials at the Commission’s Bengaluru office.

Due to the manpower dedicated to this effort, the day-to-day functioning of MUDA’s Special Land Acquisition, Site and Engineering Sections has taken a hit. With three officers and 15 staff members reassigned for photocopying duties over the past seven months, core operations have been significantly disrupted.

Probe on the right track?

The MUDA land scam — alleged to run into thousands of crores of rupees — is under the scanner of the Lokayukta, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Justice P.N. Desai-led Commission set up by the State Government.

However, given the sheer volume of documents and the extended timeline, questions remain: Is the investigation moving in the right direction? Will it uncover the truth and ensure those responsible are brought to justice?