We read with great astonishment MUDA's "clarification" about land use conversion, especially the statement "No decisions are taken against public interest". It is our belief that the vast majority of the decisions taken by MUDA are against public interest and the law. We had specifically mentioned in our letter to the Minister of Urban Development that the Karnataka High Court has said (1988(3) KLJ 543) that the conditions and limitations imposed by the original scheme can not be changed and so land use conversions, especially, residential -> commercial, residential -> public, public/semi-public -> commercial land use changes should not be effected. MUDA is permitting such illegal conversions without any application of mind. These conversions may benefit the owners of the land, but not the general public.
Secondly, MUDA is permitting hundreds of private layouts, some as small as 1 gunta (i.e., 1000 sq. ft or 30x 30 ft.). Such mindless mushrooming of private layouts defeats the whole purpose of town planning and will make our city totally unlivable in a few years time. MUDA must surely be deluded to think that thsi flood-like conversion of tiny agricultural holdings into sites is in public interest. In the short run, it may provide some people with sites, but in the long run, such disorganized growth will choke our city to death.
MUDA's "clarification" also talks about how public notices are issued on the proposed land use changes and objections invited and how MUDA considers these objections before approving the conversion. It will be instructive to the public if MUDA can issue a press statement about how many land use changes of each kind were proposed in 2010, how many objections were received on each proposal, how many proposals were approved and how many rejected. The more than 50 objections MGP has filed against land use conversions HAVE ALL BEEN IGNORED and calling for objections may just be a farce.
B.Vaikunth Shenoy, Mysore Grahakara Parishat