Mysuru deputy commissioner who sniffed Muda site irregularities moved out

BENGALURU/MYSURU: The state govt Friday stirred a hornet's nest by moving out Mysuru deputy commissioner (DC) Dr KV Rajendra, the whistleblower on the alleged irregularities over allotment of alternative plots by Mysuru Urban Development Authority (Muda) under a 50:50 scheme. Senior IAS officer Lakshmikanth Reddy G has replaced Dr Rajendra, with the latter taking charge as the new director of tourism in Bengaluru.
Though the govt issued transfer orders to 21 senior IAS officers Friday, shunting Rajendra out of Mysuru has raised eyebrows for obvious reasons.Dr Rajendra had written to Muda and the state govt multiple times, seeking cancellation of allotment of alternative sites, citing gross violation of rules.
According to RTI activists, Rajendra had written 15 letters to Muda, objecting to allotment of alternative sites under the 50:50 scheme. He had also written to the Urban Development Department, alleging that irregularities in allotments had cost the state exchequer thousands of crores of rupees.
However, both the urban development department and Muda authorities ignored his alerts and continued with the allotments.
'DC's report seeking action was ignored'
Meanwhile, sources claimed the state govt turned a blind eye to the expert committee report that said Muda was indulging in irregularities. The govt also ignored the report by the DC, seeking action against the Muda commissioner.
The complaints regarding Muda allotments were raised in 2022, and the then BJP govt had formed a technical committee on July 2, 2022, to address the issue. The committee had submitted its report on Nov 3, 2023, though no action was initiated against the accused, sources said.
It was also alleged that 6,800 sites were allotted illegally to influential people - primarily to politicians, cutting across party lines. These plots were purchased at low rates from farmers and registered in the names of relatives and aides of influential people.
Later, these sites were allegedly de-notified and dropped from the acquisition list. After implementation of the 50:50 scheme, these plots were allotted. In the process, the state govt incurred a loss of more than Rs 5,000 crore, sources alleged.
Senior BJP leader R Ashoka on Friday alleged that urban development minister Byrathi Suresh, when he recently visited the Muda office after the scam broke out, illegally brought the file, containing details of allotment of 14 sites to chief minister Siddaramaiah's wife Parvathi, to Bengaluru to hush up the case. "I demand that the govt put these files in public domain. Or else, we will intensify our protest," he said, reiterating his demand for a CBI probe.