Sir,

Apropos the news item ‘House construction picks up pace at R.T. Nagar’ (SOM dated May 12), shelter and a roof over one’s head has been a basic and pressing need for humans at all times. In over-populated India, not all are blessed with their own houses, as poverty is rampant and a huge population lives in slums. Middle class section of society also struggles and owning a house is a dream and a lifetime effort.

Governments have created authorities to identify and manage the housing needs of its citizenry. One such authority is our own Mysuru Urban Development Authority, popular as MUDA.

But MUDA’s functioning is very strange and despicable. It does not show the urgency and efficiency with which this gargantuan problem has to be addressed and mitigated. What else can you say when land acquisition of 219 acres of R.T. Nagar Layout was completed in 1993-94 and yet 2,472 sites were distributed after nearly 25 years in 2017 !

Formed in a 1000-acre land in 1994, out of 12,000 sites distributed in Vijayanagar 4th Stage, it seems only 40 percent of the area is occupied and 60 percent remains vacant ! 90 percent sites remain vacant out of 822 sites distributed in Lalithadrinagar North and 1,667 sites in Lalithadrinagar South in an area of 267 acres — and imagine that this layout was formed 20 years ago in 1998 ! Who’s to be blamed for this sorry state of affairs?

What’s also baffling is the mushrooming of MUDA-approved private layouts all over when there’s probably hardly anything to talk about MUDA’s landbank and its efforts to help nearly 1.5 lakh (or maybe more) pending applicants? Investors in land, for example, on Hunsur Road own and have developed several kilometres of land and they’re the ones who make the most out of demand-supply situation.

Site allottees, according to rules, should build houses within 10 years of allotment. In 2015, the then Urban Development Minister, Vinay Kumar Sorake wanted to bring down this time-frame from 10 years to 5 years, which is a good idea and should be pursued. At that time he said nearly 50,000 sites were lying vacant in Mysuru. Has MUDA made any effort to reclaim any of these sites and taken any action against those who’ve flouted the rules?

Nearly the same time, MUDA was planning to go vertical, instead of unbridled horizontal growth and build quality 1 and 2 bedroom affordable flats for those not owning houses. What happened to those plans? MUDA should not venture out to build sky-scrapers but build 4 to 5 storied blocks. Can we ask MUDA to fix this massive problem with a new zeal and passion and help those who long to own their own house in our ever-growing city? By doing so, it probably then can justify its own existence.

– Mubasher Mirza, Bannimantap ‘C’ Layout, 13.5.2019

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