MYSURU: Rallying behind Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, local Congress legislators have alleged that BJP MLC AH Vishwanath also got a residential site in the upscale Devanur Layout in the city.
Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) Chairman K Mari Gowda told reporters on Monday that Vishwanath, who had accused Siddaramaiah and his wife Parvathi of getting 38,000 sqft of land in Vijayanagar, has also benefited under the alternative site scheme of MUDA.
He said Vishwanath’s wife Shanthamma was allotted a residential site measuring 2,400 sqft in Devanur layout a while ago. But Vishwanath, using his political influence, managed to get an alternative commercial site on a prominent street, he alleged.
Calling Vishwanath a “blackmailer”, Mari Gowda said Mallikarjunaswamy, brother-in-law of Siddaramaiah, did not purchase a piece of land granted to a Dalit as alleged by the others. He had purchased it in an open auction.
When asked to reveal the names of beneficiaries in the 50:50 site allotment scheme, Mari Gowda said MUDA officials, who have launched a probe, have seized records and documents related to the allotment of sites and a detailed report will be submitted to the government.
He said the government would withdraw the sites that had been allotted in violation of rules and regulations. 20 sites had been allotted to Hinkal Papanna at Vijayanagar for his three acres of land acquired in 1981, based on court orders.
He said sites were not allotted then due to procedural lapses and the probe report by MUDA officials will throw light on such cases.
Chamaraja MLA Harish Gowda said the allegations against Siddaramaiah and his family members are baseless. Siddaramaiah’s family members were legally allotted 38,000 sqft of land against 75,000 sqft for 3.16 acres of land acquired by MUDA.
He said Siddaramaiah did not use his political influence to get alternative sites when his wife petitioned MUDA in 2014 and 2018. However, MUDA allotted sites 50% less than what had to be allotted to them, in 2022.
He said MUDA came up with the 40:60 site allotment scheme in 1989. But when farmers were reluctant to part with their land for formation of layouts, MUDA came up with the 50:50 scheme in 2000. Many landowners benefited from this scheme.
Srirangapatna MLA Harish Babu said Congress legislators did not influence MUDA officials to favour anyone in allotment of sites.
