Karnataka to cancel all illegal MUDA 50:50 scheme site allotments since 2019
Karnataka will cancel all illegal site allotments under MUDA's 50:50 scheme since 2019, expanding an earlier decision.
The Karnataka government will cancel all site allotments made illegally by the erstwhile Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) under the controversial 50:50 scheme since 2019, Urban Development Minister Yathindra Siddaramaiah announced on Friday.
The decision expands the government's earlier move to scrap allotments made under the scheme after March 14, 2023. That initial announcement had drawn demands from the Opposition BJP and JD(S) for a wider review of all illegal allotments.
Speaking to reporters in Mysuru, Mr. Yathindra said the government would also scrutinise allotments made before 2019 to identify cases involving illegal grant of alternative or incentive sites.
The 50:50 scheme, introduced by MUDA (now renamed Mysuru Development Authority) in 2019, was designed to compensate landowners by allotting 50% of developed land in exchange for undeveloped land acquired by the authority.
However, the minister said sites were allegedly allotted illegally to individuals whose land was never acquired by MUDA, and in some cases to persons who had already received compensation. He also noted instances where compensation was claimed for the full extent of land even though only a small portion was acquired for purposes such as road construction.
"All illegal allotments (of compensatory sites) would be cancelled," he said.
When asked about the government's approach for cases where houses have already been built on illegally allotted sites, Mr. Yathindra said he would gather details of such constructions and seek legal opinion before deciding the next steps.
Responding to a separate question, the minister criticised the BJP's proposed padayatra demanding the resignation of Planning and Statistics Minister B. Nagendra, saying the party had avoided discussing the matter in the Legislative Assembly. He accused the BJP of seeking the resignation for "political purposes," asserting there was no strong evidence against Mr. Nagendra.
On another matter, Mr. Yathindra said there was no information so far about anyone from Mysuru being trapped in the recent flash floods in Nepal.