Mysore Urban Development Authority (MUDA) budget for 2015-16 came under flak for ‘lacking in vision’ for the future development of the city.
Narasimharaja MLA, Tanvir Sait, opined that the budget was silent on infrastructure projects like the four grade separators for which the tenders have been called. He also faulted the budget for not envisaging the future growth of the city and conceiving infrastructure works to cope with future growth.
Citing the importance of Mysuru for tourism, Mr. Sait said the budget should have earmarked funds to take up survey for a metro or similar project to link up all major places of tourist interest around Mysuru. He also wanted MUDA to reserve 100 metres of land along the Outer Ring Road stretch for future development.
Chamundeshwari MLA, G.T. Deve Gowda, said the potential revenue for MUDA was at least Rs. 1,000 crore against which it was accruing only around Rs. 425.98 crore. He said the budget lacked planning for the development of satellite towns at Yelwal, Jayapura and Kadakola, which was imperative to decongest Mysuru and conserve its inherent charm and beauty.
He expressed concern that the city’s greenery was eroding but the allocation to green Mysuru was not adequate. However, the lack of approval for the Comprehensive Development Plan of Mysuru or the Master Plan came under flak and said the city’s growth will be haphazard without getting the final approval for it.
Krishnaraja MLA, M.K. Somashekar, aired similar views and said MUDA’s penchant for encouraging private players to take up layout development had resulted in the city’s planning going haywire.