Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s wife B.M. Parvathi has returned the 14 disputed sites to MUDA (Mysuru Urban Development Authority). A kind gesture indeed, but also… kinda pointless. We are sure the family lawyers knew that returning the sites was a ‘moot point’, unless it was meant to evoke public sympathy for the CM. As many have…
Dasara: From Royal Extravaganza to Village Fair ?
September 21, 2024Ah, it’s Nada Habba season again — time for Dasara! This should be the moment when Mysuru shines, showcasing its royal heritage. Yet, here we are scrambling with last-minute preparations. In recent years, Dasara seems to have shifted from its grand Jumboo Savari procession to… well, a glorified light show illuminating city streets. Sure, the…
Stop the farce & Spare the Children
September 14, 2024The Karnataka Government wants to celebrate ‘International Day of Democracy’ tomorrow by forming the ‘Longest Human Chain.’ They want 25 lakh people from Bidar to Chamarajanagar to hold hands and form a 2,500-kilometre-long human chain. But why? According to the Government, ‘to promote democratic values.’ Last year too, they celebrated the event with a small…
Mr. Horrible & Mr. Terrible Will They Be Prosecuted?
August 24, 2024As the stench of corruption emanates from the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA), two Karnataka Administrative Service (KAS) officers are alleged to be the key facilitators of this rot — Mr. Horrible and Mr. Terrible. Dr. D.B. Natesh, a former MUDA Commissioner, is known for his dreadfully terrible decisions, while his successor, G.T. Dinesh Kumar,…
August 15th, now just another holiday
August 17, 2024Seventy-seven years ago, we seized control of our destiny, forging a democratic union that endures to this day. On the surface, this seems like something to celebrate. But beneath that surface, our democracy is faltering, crippled by our obsession with money and power. Recent political spectacles, such as the Yatras where Congress and BJP hurled…
For the love of one’s child they ruined a Legacy & Community
August 3, 2024At a recent book launch event in Bengaluru, former Mysuru-Kodagu MP Prathap Simha posed a poignant question: “If political leaders worry only about their own children, who will take care of the children of other people, who also work for the party?” The answer, it appears, is no one. Across the political spectrum, senior politicians…
First fix Roads, then build Amusement Park
July 27, 2024Guess which project is back on the table — “wannabe” Disneyland! Yes, the Karnataka State Cabinet has cleared a proposal to develop Brindavan Gardens along the lines of Disneyland! This new “wannabe” Disneyland, though tentatively christened as Cauvery Brindavan Amusement Park, is not a new project. In 2018, H.D. Kumaraswamy, who was the CM had…
First Create Jobs Then Reserve Jobs
July 20, 2024The Karnataka Government’s recent handling of the Bill mandating reservations for Kannadigas in the private sector has been nothing short of chaotic. On Monday, the Bill was approved. On Tuesday, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah proudly announced it. By Wednesday, it was scrapped, only to be slated for further discussion on Thursday. This flip-flopping is not how…
MUDA Protest: The Stench of Hypocrisy
July 13, 2024While calling for a CBI investigation and demanding Siddaramaiah’s resignation on moral grounds, will the BJP and JD(S) first take the moral high ground by suspending their own senior MLAs, who were MUDA members in 2021 under whose watch this scam occurred? Rohini Sindhuri, the former Deputy Commissioner of Mysuru District, had penned a letter…
MUDA: A Tale of Dysfunction & Failure
June 29, 2024The Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) is back in the news and as always, for the wrong reasons. This time, for corruption of three varieties — The 50:50 ratio site distribution scandal, the e-auction scandal and the Civic Amenities (CA) site scandal. At the risk of being repetitive, I have to republish my recent observations…
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