MUDA not acting against illegalities, allege villagers

Mysore/Mysuru: The leaders and villagers of Hinkal have raised a serious accusation against the District Administration and the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA), accusing them of procrastination in taking action against the encroachment of Sri Nanneshwara Kalyani or Devara Kere (Lake) at Hinkal and the buffer zone of Raja Kaluve (natural drain) in the surrounding areas.

The Lake, covering approximately six acres, has been affected by the consequences of rapid urbanisation. About 2,000 acres of land in Hinkal was acquired by the MUDA several years ago, subsequently converted into Civic Amenities (CA) sites.

During this acquisition, MUDA officials had given assurances that CA sites would be allocated for the development of essential infrastructural facilities aimed at advancing Hinkal village, said Krishna Reddy, the Treasurer of Sri Nanneshwara Devara Kere Development Committee.

Adding to the concerns, a private organisation has reportedly encroached upon the buffer zone of Raja Kaluve, crucial for the flow of stormwater, particularly at the eastern part of the Lake. Disturbingly, they are obstructing any efforts to desilt the area, even resorting to the use of machines, thereby violating established laws.

Buffer Zone violation

Krishna Reddy, expressing frustration, mentioned that despite submitting memoranda to the officers three to four years ago urging the removal of encroachments, no tangible progress has been made thus far.

The villagers contend that the buffer zone in the southern part of the Lake is not designated in the CA site plan and the accompanying sketch. Consequently, they argue that the allotment of CA site to a private organisation without proper demarcation of the buffer zone is scientifically flawed. They emphasise that addressing the issue should take into consideration the Raja Kaluve in the eastern part of the Lake and the buffer zone of the CA site in the southern part.

In addition to this, the villagers point out that the Government Primary School building in Hinkal is also situated on the buffer zone of Raja Kaluve.

Encroachment of Lake bund

The current custodian of the Lake is MUDA, which has taken steps to enhance security by installing an iron mesh around the water body. However, the villagers allege that a private firm has encroached upon both the Lake bund and the buffer zone of Raja Kaluve. They view the demolition of the Lake bund as a serious offence, as it poses a threat to the water source.

The State Government must halt the activities carried out by the private firm encroaching upon Raja Kaluve and Kodi (where water overflows) in the Lake area. Additionally, appropriate action should be taken against MUDA Officers involved in collaboration with them, the villagers have demanded.

Furthermore, the Government should instruct the District Administration to direct the private entity to refrain from undertaking any activities until the buffer zone of Raja Kaluve connecting to the Lake is properly identified, they urged.

Sri Nanneshwara Devara Kere Development Committee Hon. President Honnappa, President A. Papanna, Vice-Presidents K.G. Nagaraju and N. Mahesh, Secretary Satish Kariyappa, Advisor G. Srinivas, leaders Kiran, Venkatesh, Hemakumar, H.B. Ramesh, S. Nannappa, Ganesh, Shivu, Kumar, Srinivas, Ramesh, Chandrashekar, Dinesh, M. Manjunath, Vasu, Paramesh, Rajashekar, M.K. Praveen and several others were present.

CA site meant for Government High School allotted to private party!

Hinkal villagers have opposed MUDA’s decision to allocate the CA site, originally earmarked for the Government High School, to a private educational institution without informing the local residents.

On June 25, 2016, the Deputy Director of the School Education and Literacy Department (formerly Public Instructions) had officially recommended to the Government the allocation of a nearby CA site for Government High School, Hinkal.

In accordance with this recommendation, MUDA Officers had agreed to allot Site Number CA2, spanning 8,182 square metres in Vijayanagar Second Stage, for academic purposes. The ground rent for this site was fixed at Rs. 44,51,010 for a 30-year period under contract, as per the Karnataka Urban Development Authorities (Allotment of Civic Amenity Sites) Rules, 1991, Rule 3(1) and 8(4)(C).

However, due to the inability to pay the substantial amount to MUDA, the then Principal Secretary of Primary and Secondary Education declined to proceed with the allocation. Subsequently, MUDA decided to allot the site to a private institution, a move that has sparked criticism from the villagers.