MCC commr gets a dressing down on stopping hostel works

Site located opposite Kukkarahalli lake; local body cries violation

The issue surrounding the construction of a building on Bogadi road opposite Kukkarahalli lake, that was later stopped for alleged violation of Park and Open Spaces Act cropped up at the meeting of Sub-committee for the welfare of Backward Classes and Minorities of State Legislature in the city on Thursday.

Presiding over the progress review meeting of the department, Narasimharaja MLA Tanveer Sait also the chairman of the sub-committee was irked to know that the Mysore City Corporation (MCC) stalled the works of post-matric girls hostel at the said land citing the Act. The work taken up at an estimated cost of Rs three crore is being executed by the Karnataka Housing Board (KHB).

When MCC commissioner M R Ravi tried to convince the legislator that no construction work is allowed at the parks, Sait questioned the veracity of allegation levelled by a private party, that forced the local body to initiate action.

Sait contended that  ‘a private land maintained as park cannot be construed as park by the local body.’ Going a step ahead, he also said that there is a provision to utilise five per cent of the land even in the case of parks and 20 pc in the case of open spaces for the public cause.

When the MCC commissioner tried to convince the legislator the latter shot back “the said land is not being used for setting up any recreation centre, but a hostel.”

Referring to the case of land at H D Kote taluk identified for the post-matric girls hostel, the legislator was annoyed to learn that the tahsildar was mild even though it was encroached by the neighbouring landlord.

What irked him was though the office of deputy commissioner had sanctioned the land, the office of tahsildar was still not acting on the same. Irked, deputy commissioner P S Vastrad who intervened instructed the tahsildar to clear the encroachment.

The legislator also instructed the officers to go for civic amenities (CA) sites of Mysore Urban Development Authority (MUDA) or any other government bodies to meet the demand of sites for the construction of new hostels in the city. 

When an officer was reluctant to the proposal of MUDA commmissioner C G Betsurmath though the latter agreed to allot CA sites at the rate of 50 per cent of the total, the legislator intervened saying “it was the only option left.”

Deputy commissioner P S Vastrad, ZP CEO Dr Ajai Nagabushan and others were present.