Takes back Hall’s possession  

Mysore/Mysuru: A day following the report by ‘Mysuru Mithra,’ the sister concern of ‘Star of Mysore,’ MUDA officials reclaimed the Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar Convention Hall at Hebbal on Thursday. The move came after the contractor (lessee) failed to remit dues totalling Rs. 51.64 lakh, despite issuance of several notices.

Acting under the direction of MUDA Commissioner G.T. Dinesh Kumar, officials locked and sealed the hall entrance yesterday after conducting an inventory (mahazar) of the materials inside. The operation was carried out by MUDA Zone-4 Assistant Executive Engineer (AEE) Sampath Kumar, Assistant Engineer Pavitra, Special Tahsildar Rajashekar, Revenue Inspector Manjunath and staff Praveen, Papanna, Avinash and Lokesh.

Constructed by MUDA on Dr. Ambarish Road in Hebbal Second Stage at a cost of Rs. 5.5 crore, the convention hall was leased to contractor S. Siddarajappa, the owner of Bengaluru-based M/S Sarkar Constructions, for a period of 5 years beginning March 17, 2019. 

As per the agreement, Siddarajappa was obligated to pay Rs. 36 lakh annually to MUDA. However, after making the initial lease payment for the first year, Siddarajappa defaulted on subsequent payments, citing business losses due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Siddarajappa had written to MUDA requesting a waiver of the contract money and an extension of the lease period by two more years. In response, the MUDA meeting held on June 22, 2022, approved the waiver and extended the lease period, a decision that attracted attention in public and political circles.

Upon discovering that the contractor’s dues had accumulated to a substantial Rs. 51,64,385 (comprising a lease amount balance of Rs. 40,85,378 and Rs. 10,78,907 accrued interest), MUDA issued multiple notices to Siddarajappa for payment and the final notice was issued on Nov. 6.