Mysuru: The Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) has finally decided to allocate a residential site to S. Kalavathi, the widow of the 2019 Pulwama attack martyr H. Guru. The decision was made during the MUDA Board meeting yesterday.

Despite being a war widow, Kalavathi was previously denied the site and subjected to bureaucratic delays, forcing her to run from pillar to post since her application on Oct. 11, 2021.

On Aug. 5, 2024, SOM had highlighted her plight in a report titled ‘MUDA denies site to Pulwama martyr’s widow,’ bringing the issue to public attention.

During the meeting, MUDA Commissioner A.N. Raghunandan stated that Kalavathi, widow of CRPF soldier H. Guru (No. 115050445), had submitted her application for a site as per rules.

Guru, a member of the CRPF 82 Battalion, was martyred on Feb. 14, 2019, in a terrorist IED blast in Pulwama, Kashmir. In recognition of his sacrifice, the Kendriya Sainik Board, Bengaluru, recommended a free site for Kalavathi, a resident of Maddur taluk in Mandya and a native of a village near Kanakapura, to build a home.

Following this recommendation, Kalavathi applied for a MUDA site. Despite repeated visits and letters to MUDA, officials failed to act on her request. She wrote to the MUDA Commissioner on Oct. 11, 2021, June 6, 2022 and June 29, 2022, attaching all necessary documents and urging for a resolution, but received no response.

This neglect violated a 2000 Government order mandating Urban Development Authorities to allocate free sites to dependents of soldiers who die in service.

On Jan. 29, 2020, Brigadier (retd.) Ravi Muniswamy, Director of the Kendriya Sainik Board, Bengaluru, wrote to the MUDA Commissioner, urging him to honour Kalavathi’s request and provide a free site. The letter sought a response on the action taken, but Kalavathi’s application remained unresolved.

After several follow-ups, on July 13, 2022, the Zone 4 Special Tahsildar asked Kalavathi to submit detailed documents, including Guru’s pension records, service details, death certificate, proof of residence, an affidavit confirming she owned no other site and her Aadhaar card. Kalavathi complied with all requirements.

On Oct. 31, 2022, the Zone 4 Special Tahsildar recorded in the file that Kalavathi’s application would be prioritised in the next site allocation. However, the promised allocation never materialised.

Now finally, Kalavathi will get a residential site in Mysuru as she does not possess any other site.