4. Has Mysuru Gone Bangaluru-Way? (Part 4 of 7)

‘Bangaluru way’ - Beyond Bailout

 A City is on the Verge of  Dying!

On February 10, 2017 Ms. Kathyayani Chamaraj, the  Executive Trustee of CIVIC activities of Citizens Matters [an organisation supported by Oorvani Foundation, a non-profit trust], wrote a very detailed letter to the Chief Minister of Karnataka under the heading – Why Bengaluru’s Planning Process is Against the Spirit of Our Constitution.  

The following quote is only the  first part of that letter:

Current situation of Bengaluru

Bengaluru city has reached a population of 1 crore already.  It is finding it difficult to provide drinking water to half its residents.  The city has 60 lakh vehicles (a vehicle for every two persons), congesting roads and making it impossible for buses to ply and for pedestrians, street vendors and cyclists to have an equitable amount of road-space.

Garbage mismanagement in the city has necessitated the intervention of the Karnataka High Court to ensure that MoEF Rules are followed and mafias controlled.  Lakes continue to froth and get encroached, even by the BDA, and Public Interest Litigations are required to seek High Court directions to protect them.

Ground water has become polluted and is getting depleted. The slightest rains flood Bengaluru due to encroachment of raja kaluves. Air is polluted due to vehicle emissions giving rise to respiratory diseases.  Children have no place to play at all. More than half the green cover has been lost in the past decade alone.

Public Interest Litigations have to be constantly filed to ensure that laws and rules regarding the setting up of the MPC and ward committees are followed.  It is obvious that the city is in a super-crisis and is on the verge of dying.

Above quote  very neatly sums up the total deterioration of urban infrastructure and total breakdown of rule of law in Bangaluru.  However, during the past four years plus years  things have so rapidly deteriorated that by  December 2021   an Editorial [quoted in part -1] has declared  Bangaluru as a Failed City! Let us very briefly scan through a few facts. 

The population of the Bangaluru as per Census 2011 was 8.4 million, whereas it is estimated to be 12 million (1.2 crore) in 2020, nearly 50 per cent increase within a period of 9 years! In 2015 historians are quoted as having said that there were three waves of migrations to the city and as per 2011 Census the migrants constituted 40 per cent of Bangaluru’s populations. In 2019 there were close to 67.000 registered IT Companies in Bangaluru, out of which 12,000 companies worked full time. As of 2017 IT firms in Bangaluru employed 1.5 million employees in IT and IT-enabled services sector, out of nearly 4.36 million employees across India. And accounted for the highest IT-related exports in the country. No surprise that Bangaluru is called the second Silicon Valley!

Post independence mainly two organisations were involved in the development and civic administration of Bangaluru, namely the Bangaluru Development Authority [BDA] and the Bruhut Banglauru Mahanagara Palike [BBMP]. As Bangaluru is the state’s capital, the state  government has also been involving itself with the affairs of this city in more than one way. Let us very briefly peruse  roles of these organisations.

BDA 

Even after the City Improvement Trust Board [CITB] morphed into Bangalore Development Authority [BDA] the city’s  planned development was in operation  from  Jayanagara and its  various phases, or even until the Dollar’s Colony,. However, once the city was hit by the Boom urban planning went haywire. It gave way to massive land scams, corruption and all round chaos. BDA became a Broken Down Authority. It had to simply adopt the decrepit infrastructure ‘developed’ by the City or Town Municipal Councils as and when concerned geographical areas were handed over to it. And there was very little that BDA could do in the form of improvements or modifications with highly ill developed and legally challenging infrastructural mess.

BBMP 

The municipal administration of Bangaluru  under BBMP has undergone even worse predicament than the BDA. The  growth of properties outpaced the capacity of BBMP to maintain records, resulting in huge shortage of revenues. In an Affidavit submitted by the government before the High Court based on a random sample survey in 4 of the 198 ward of BBMP, it was estimated that of the 16.75 lakh sites in Bangaluru the BBMP had been able to collect tax for 13.83 lakh sites and remaining 2.93 lakh sites (17.49%) were estimated to be unauthorised. The government’s survey data found that of the residential properties with violations, 47.5% have violations above 50%. In case of non-residential buildings with violations, the survey found that 81.75% buildings have more than 25%, that is only18.25% buildings have violations below that limit! 

To overcome the revenue shortage BBMP has resorted to sanctioning a semi-legal status to the properties in the nature of  Form B  registrations. However, this backdoor approval of illegality has put  the owners of such properties in a lurch.

Drinking water is short supply, and majority of the multi-storied buildings are ferrying water from ‘somewhere’, and the residents are forced to buy bottled drinking water. Water supply and bottled-drinking water  are multi-billion racket in Bangaluru.

As per the data available for 2016-17 Banaluru with more than 70,000 vehicles was home to second highest  number of vehicles in India, second to Dehli’s 1.01 crore vehicles. This was indicative of doubling of the vehicle numbers within 10 years in Bangaluru. Delays in the planning and the construction of flyovers, metro-rail, and  lack of proper road maintenance have made life of motorists a hell. 

Waste management in Bangaluru is a monumental failure. Even though organised under PPP model, it seems to be totally under the control of  mafia. Today solid waste management and  landfills are  huge issues in Bangaluru. Villages where such wastes were being dumped have revolted against BBMP. 

Due to the sky high land values and the real estate importance  BBMP  has become a magnet for politically ambitious,  newly minted rich in and around the city.  And it has badly affected the functioning of BBMP, making it most inefficient and corrupt organization. 

State Government 

Being the state capital,  everything in Bangaluru has been happening directly under the government’s scanner. Its handling of affairs in BDA and BBMP, to say the least, is totally ham handed.  State government’s attempts to bring in Akrama-Sakrama exposed its condonation of the BBMP’s failure to enforce the  property rules in the past. Foot-in -the door by the judiciary has put a stop to this stealth effort. It will not be wrong to put the entire blame for the total collapse of city’s development and administration at the door steps of the state government. 

Past Failed attempts to Revive Bangaluru

Attempts have been made in the past to revive Bangaluru. For Example: the Bangalore Agenda Task Force [BATF], consisting of topnotch industrial leaders, NGO heads, Babus with known credibility being its members. BATF did dig into the root of the malice and suggest certain remedial measures. But due to the changes in the political leadership the Task Force was given a quiet burial. Thereafter, several proposals have been in the air, such as splitting  gargantuan BBMP into more than two organisations. But the political power in BBMP would not let the government do it!

Policing is yet another area of political interference at every stage. Result is missing or weak policing, high crime rate and mafia rule. 

Summing up ‘Bangaluru Way’

Among several other factors, lack of timely remedial measures in the case of Hosur, politically motivated cancellation of NICE corridor project and myopic decision while locating KIA have cost Bangaluru very heavily. They have resulted in making Bangaluru a Failed City. And this is “Bangaluru Way”! A costly lesson in our urban development. 

Let us see whether Mysuru has ‘already’ gone the Bengaluru way?

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3. Has Mysuru Gone Bangaluru-Way? (Part 3 of 7)

KIA Location – A Myopic Decision

Kempegowda International Airport – a Jewel in the Karnataka’s Crown

Kempegowda International Airport [KIA] at Devanahalli today is considered to be the best airport of the country and one of the best in the world. It is the pride of the state. Its expanse, its highly manicured gardens at the entrance, the overall high quality user-centric facilities provided here, the interior decor, very clean and hygienic maintenance, vast neatly demarcated parking areas, near perfect security systems among other positive factors make this international airport stand out not only within the country but even internationally. Anyone who has visited the New York’s Kennedy airport will surely wonder whether that airport really deserves to be worthy of being the world’s busiest airport? Because the facilities there are very basic and not to the requisite international standards. Even London’s new Heathrow airport, though better than Kennedy airport, does not compare with KIA. May be Paris’s Charles de Gaul airport is distantly-nearer to KIA in some sense of expected international airport standards. Interestingly, KIA is still developing. Second and separate runway-tarmac is being built for national airline services, separating them from the International airline services. After completion of these developmental projects KIA will surely be the world’s top airport! Therefore, one can be justly proud of our Kempegowda International airport. However, on hindsight the location of a new International Airport at Devenahalli was the second biggest blunder that has devastated Bangaluru.

Need for a New Airport

Let us quickly recapitulate the historical events that lead to the location of KIA at Devanahalli. Very fast development of IT and BT industries in and around Bangaluru, making it world’s Silicon Valley during the last decade of last century and the beginning of this century, generated unprecedented international travel from and to Bangalore. The capacity of the existing HAL airport had reached its optimal limits, both to the service providers and to the service users. Further, being part of defense establishment any further scope for expansion of this airport was ruled out. HAL itself was confronting with greater demands from the Air force activities. Therefore, the government was compelled to think of a new place for putting up a new International Airport for Bangalore.

Search Committee

Committee consisting of political bigwigs, top bureaucrats and a few chiefs of very big industrial houses was formed to find a suitable place. There were discords, conflicts of opinions, threats to resign and a lot of public posturing. And finally, after a lot of back and forth, Devanahalli, located about 40 km north of Bangalore, was selected. Was it once again a political decision? It will be known only when people involved in this decision come out openly and tell the truth. After the scrapping of NICE Economic Corridor between Mysore- Bangalore, on the hindsight it will be seen as to what a big blunder it was to have located the KIA at Devanahalli.

The Opportunity Cost

Opportunity Cost is defined as the potential loss from a missed opportunity—the result of choosing one alternative and forgoing larger benefits of another. That is the cost of the benefits of foregone opportunity. Let us understand the opportunity cost present KIA.

The entire 40 km area between Bangalore and Devanahalli was full of grape gardens, farms, and more importantly defense establishments like Air Force Command, Border Security Force and several pharmaceutical and other industrial units. The location of Devanahalli is nearing the state border with erstwhile Andhra Pradesh, and present Telengana State. Whatever the justification given for the decision in favor of locating International Airport at Devanahalli, the overall cost-benefits to the state could never have been viable. The entire green belt in this 40 km area has been totally devastated. Lack of prior transportation plan has resulted in congestions and bottlenecks. Repeated road widening and improvements are adding to avoidable capital expenditure. Lack of Metro rail link is making the users shell out high fares in accessing the airport. Defense establishments in Air Force and BSF have been unnecessarily exposed to threats and future developmental constraints. The entire cost of development in the form of multi-lane road, flyovers, rail-link, metro and others will be narrowly beneficial to very small section of the population. And above all, Devanahalli being nearer to Telangana borders, this International airport is of greater benefit to the users of neighboring state. For the users from our own state this location only adds to their costs, both time-wise and money-wise! The opportunity cost of this decision to locate KIA at Devanahalli is enormous to the state and to the user public. These opportunity costs could have been avoided. Let us consider the alternative locations that would have been of greater benefit to a larger part of the state.

Alternate Locations –Lost Multiplier Benefits

On the hindsight the decision to locate KIA at Devanahalli was totally a myopic one. Let us just imagine if only this airport was located between Bidadi, and Ramanagaram, or say between Ramanagaram and Maddur beside Bangaluru - Mysuru Highway! This entire belt would have exploded with the economic prosperity. The entire costs of additional infra-structural development would have relieved Bangaluru of pressure on residential demands and traffic congestions. It would have benefited the nearby towns and cities. And time-wise and costs-wise Mysoreans would have been highly benefited, as the distance would have been around 70-80 km!

Conversely, suppose this airport were to have been located on Bangaluru-Mangaluru highway somewhere betweem Bangaluru and Channarayapatna. Then it would have benefited three important cities of the state- Bangaluru, Hassan and Mysuru! And the entire area all along this route would have been economically developed! Above all, the defense establishments and green belt of Bangaluru- Devanahalli would have been protected, benefitting Bangaluru’s climate!

Huge capital expenditures being incurred on providing flyovers, Metro rail and others only to facilitate the access to the KIA is benefitting a very small segment of the Bangaluru’s geographical area and population. And that too by building up greater pressure on the overall infrastructural services within the metropolitan city of Bangaluru. Location of KIA at Devanahalli was a big blunder for which the state will continue to pay a very heavy price all time to come.

Well, one can only ponder over this split milk! But above two blunders have imposed huge costs on Bangaluru and have catapulted the city from once a City with European Touch to what it has become today- a Failed City!

2. Bangaluru - a Boom city that went Bust (Part 2 of 7)

A Boom City

Bangalore, in many ways, is unlike the other great cities of India. Most of

the other cities in India remind one certainly of the present, certainly of the

future but essentially of the past. But Bangalore, as I said, more than any

other great city of India is a picture of the future....

Jawaharlal Nehru, July 17, 1962

Nehru’s appreciation was justified, Bangalore of pre-ninety eighties was indeed “in many was, ..unlike other great cities of India. However, as explained earlier things were fast changing, and changing beyond Nehru’s prediction! India Today 15 th April 1983 issue focused on Bangalore as The Boom City of the country. However, the two consecutive decades - 1990s and 2000 - changed the entire edifice of Bangaluru. Economic Policy of Liberalization, Privatization and Globalization [LPG], during 1990s stimulated the growth of large private sector units, and thousands of ancillary and small units supporting them, in and around Bangaluru. The city was stormed by an influx of economic activities. As if that was not enough, the global fear of Y2K became a stimulant in the growth of Information Technology [IT] units in Bangaluru. Quick solution from Bangaluru to the Y2K fear not only prevented the IT crisis all over the world, but it also created a second Silicon Valley of the world in Bangaluru.

With a fantastic growth rate of 76 per cent in the last decade, Bangalore has outstripped the 12 other cities in the country which have a population of more than 10 lakhs. Only Jaipur with 57 per cent and Delhi with 56 per cent come anywhere close to matching Bangalore's phenomenal growth rate. The percentage growth for the other nine cities in the last decade was - Pune: 48, Ahmedabad: 43, Hyderabad: 40, Nagpur: 39, Bombay: 37, Madras: 34, Kanpur: 32, Calcutta: 30, and Lucknow: 23. The all-India average for cities was 46 per cent. Bangalore is now estimated to be among the first 10 fastest growing cities in the world. 

The demand for housing was so rapid and high that the existing residential layouts were overrun.

People started to let their spare accommodations for making money. Factories and Offices also

demanded greater land spaces. The demand for land outpaced the availability within the planned

residential, commercial and industrial areas. Consequently the villages adjoining the city

automatically became the extended part of the city without even waiting for formal inclusion

within the city planning area.

The Kiss of Death

The negative impacts on the garden city were very severe. City planning gave way to post-facto

absorption of chaotically grown adjoining villages into the city folds. City planning became a

misnomer. Density of population graph had hit the north pole! Once the compromise on

planning was forced, it laid the foundation for corruption and huge unplanned growth of

buildings of all kinds. Land mafias made their diabolic presence. Residential zones got merged

with the commercial and industrial complexes. Open spaces and gardens started to vanish.

Sanitation and hygiene were out of gear. The presence of State Government in this capital city,

instead of becoming a controlling point, seemed to have become an accomplice in the fast

deteriorating conditions. A Garden City systematically got converted into a Garbage city !

The consequences of such unprecedented growth of Bangalore was not unknown to the

authorities. As apprehended by Ramakrishna Hegde, the then Chief Minister of the state,

Bangalore did continue to explode haphazardly and the boom did bring it such a prosperity

which did become its Kiss of Death!

If immediate action is taken to control the crazy, unplanned

growth of the city it would be possible to make this city liveable.

Otherwise it may go the way of other big cities. We must

regulate Bangalore's growth." Or else if Bangalore continues to

explode haphazardly the boom that brought it so much

prosperity may easily be the kiss of death. -- the then Chief

Minister R.K.Hegde

Hosur’s Growth – Its Impact on Bangaluru

Tamil Nadu government had correctly assessed the crucial location and growth prospects of

Bangalore quite early, as early as in 1970s. It put up Industrial Estate at Hosur, located at the

periphery of Bangalore, and its borders with Karnataka state. Making use of the financial and

infrastructural incentives available in this Industrial Estate and also because the advantages of

the airport facility and residential facilities in neighboring Bangalore a large number of

industries started to locate themselves in Hosur . Over a period Hosur went on to develop in to a

very large industrial complex. Its growth heavily taxed the infrastructural facilities available in

the city of Bangalore.

Government of Karnataka was lethargic in countering the attractions provided by the Tamil

Nadu state in Hosur Industrial complex. Consequently, Hosur and Tamil Nadu bolted with a very

fast economic growth in the area. Whereas, Bangalore was burdened by the influx of population

and traffic without much revenues either to the city’s municipal administration or to the state

exchequer. Tamil Nadu gained at the cost of Karnataka! Tamil Nadu’s gain was Karnataka’s

huge loss.

Twin Blunders that undermined Bangaluru

There are multiple factors which have resulted in the downfall of Bangaluru during the past 25

years. But here we will analyze two main factors only. These are the factors which would have

prevented Bangaluru from becoming highly congested and losing its grandeur of the past.

First, the Dropping of Bangalore-Mysore NICE Corridor Project. During the later part of

1990s Karnataka Government entered into an agreement with the Nandi Infra-structure Company

to build under PPP model a new road linking Bangalore with Mysore to relieve the traffic

congestion on the existing state highway between the two important cities of the state. This new

road was to by-pass Kanakapura, Malavalli and reach Mysore via Bannur. It was a grand plan

which would have benefited both Bangalore and Mysuru. Idea was to develop these two cities as

twin cities like Mumbai and Pune had become due to a new Express High Way link.

A lot of enthusiasm was generated by this project. The land acquisition rights were also granted

to the company and the company started to acquire the land. Suddenly the project got stalled due

to the disputes regarding the road alignment at several places. Government and the Company got

into legal tangle. And the PPP gradually got into cold storage. There were a lot of stories floating

thereafter. Some alleged that some lands belonging to a big political family caused it, some

stated that the percentage of commission to be given to the decision facilitators was the cause,

some said that the competing enterprises sabotaged the entire project by planting discord

between the politicians and the PPP developers and so on. Consequence was legal battles and

total end of this very ambitious project that could have saved Bangalore from its present

situation.

Just imagine for a moment, had this project got through as scheduled, Mysore would have

grown into another industrially well developed city of the state and the country. Lack of political

sagacity and corruption at the top level killed this project as also the prospects of smooth growth

of two important cities! And the central government need not have spent rupees nine thousand

crores on expansion of Mysore – Highway which it is doing now, and the two cities would have

had the advantage of two highways servicing them, instead of only one! The opportunity cost of

such irrational decision to drop the NICE Economic Corridor project have been tremendous,

both in financial terms and in term of economic development.

Has Mysuru Gone Bengaluru Way..? (Part 1 of 7)

 

1. Bangalore’s Glorious Days

During our several meetings with MUDA in connection with Draft of Mysore-Nanjangud Master Plan- 2031 time and again we were assured, both by the Master Plan  consultants and the MUDA top officials, that their main objective was not to allow Mysuru go the Banagaluru-Way. That was between 2013-14. Now  the approved Master Plan is under implementation for nearly past 5 years. The conditions in and around Mysuru, as they stand today, do not seem to support the assurances made by the concerned authorities back then. It looks as though Mysuru has already gone Bangaluru-Way! To understand this stark reality one has to first understand what is meant by Bangaluru-Way? Briefly, the Bangaluru-Way means a ‘failed city.’

Bangaluru- A “Failed City”

In a very recent Editorial a leading newspaper of the state has this to say about our Capital city – “For about a quarter of a century now, one Karnataka Chief Minister after another has been promising Bengaloreans the moon – or rather promising to turn it into a Singapore, a Dubai, a ‘Smart City’, or other dreamscapes. In reality, though, Bengaluru has remained closer to a cratered moon and every aspect of the city and life in it has deteriorated over the years. We are rapidly hurtling towards a point of no return....

...Bengaluru is a failed city in nearly every sense of the term. Not even a single stretch of road is free of potholes, walkable footpaths are non-existent in most areas, building violations and illegal constructions are the order of the day, waste management is a disaster, lakes are fast disappearing or are utterly polluted, the stormwater drain system has been destroyed by the builder-official nexus and the city gets flooded with every downpour, and potable water is still a pipe-dream for many. Even Namma Metro continues to  progress at a snail’s pace and will not have the extensive presence it must have to relieve the city of its traffic mess until well after 2030. Civic bodies and utility agencies remain rampantly corrupt and inefficient and promises to reform them remain unfulfilled.”

Above quote substantially establishes the pathetic conditions prevailing at  present in Bengaluru. But why are we moaning this condition of Bengaluru when most of our major urban centers, not excluding the national capital, are in similar condition? To understand this we will have to very briefly visit the unique place of Benglauru in our state’s and national history.

 

Bangalore – A City with a Touch of Europe!

Magadi Kempegowda is credited with laying the foundations for this city in 1537 with a mud fort. His vision for the city’s expansion could be seen in the boundary pillars he had erected nearly 500 years ago! If Hyder Ali waged a war to claim the control of Bengaluru, his son Tipu Sultan, born in Devanahally,  had left his palace as a memory of his relationship with this city. The British found out that Bangalore (the earlier format of the name) with its higher altitude and thousands of lakes around had a  salubrious weather all round the year. Hence, they established in Bangalore a very important Cantonment. A large number of British citizens, including Winston Churchill, lived here. Europeans and Anglo-Indians who worked and lived in the neighboring Kolar Gold Field gold mines [KGF] patronized Bangalore for their social and commercial requirements. Thus, this city  became an active centre for the Europeans and the Anglo-Indian population. Consequently, Bangalore acquired a shade of an European town!  The Parade Ground and the surrounding complexes of Cinema Houses, the Brigade Road, the Commercial Street and the Mahatma Gandhi Road were full of European touch.

The contributions of the Wadeyars was also substantial in making Bangalore what it was. Even when Mysore City was the Capital of erstwhile  Mysore State Wadeyars had  developed Bangalore with special interests. Town Planning was the fulcrum around which this city grew.  They planned the residential layouts with parks, well laid out roads, road side trees, conservancy lanes,  underground drainage, and the electricity. They also built the palace, buildings with gothic archtieture and  huge gardens. Lalbagh Botanical Garden [Lalbagh], is an old botanical garden in Bengaluru. Said to be first planned and laid out during the dalavoyship of Hyder Ali and later managed under numerous British Superintendents, its Glass House is a model for other gardens.  Huge Cubban Park is another land marks of this city. No surprise that  over a  period  this city came to be known as a Garden City.

As a part of their progressive administrative policies for the State Wadeyars had implemented Regionally Balanced Socio-Economic Policies. As per this suitable industrial units were located in different parts of the state. Bangaluru had got its own share in the form of  Government Soap factory,  Government Electric Factory and many others. However, industrial development being part of planned city development never caused adverse effects on the urban life. Rather it contributed to its socio-economic dynamics.

Post Independence - Dynamic Political Leadership

During the first two decades after independence the state had the good fortune of a very dynamic political leadership. They were men of eminence and integrity coupled with high degree of local concerns. Politicians such as Kadidal Manjappa, K.Hanumanthaiah, and Nijalingappa had national prominence both in the government and the Indian Congress Party.  They gave importance to the socio-economic development of the state in general and the Bangalore city in particular by choosing it as the state capital under great odds. Maintenance of the Heritage of the city was given its due prominence. Location and the architect of Vidhana Soudha stand testimony to the political culture of the time.

A National Industrial Hub

Because of very conducive socio-economic-political environment Bangaluru attracted a series of Public Sector enterprises (many connected with the defense), like HAL, HMT, ITI, BEL, BHEL, Railway Wheels Factory, DRDO, ISRO and many others, which had huge campuses of their own. Even Private Sector, like Kislokar, MICO and  Kisan,  had put up a few important units in and around this city. Foreign collaborations in some of these industries gave Bangalore an international image.  Over a time the city acquired the honor of having Asia’s largest Industrial Estate of ancillary and small units in Peenya. However, industrialization of Bengaluru did not damage the landscape of the city as either they were non-polluting in nature or they were located away from the residential layouts.

Industrialization  enhanced the employment prospects of the citizens. As other major cities of the country had become highly congested and polluted, Bangalore glittered for its elegance, gardens and laid back large city. All over the country Bangalore acquired prominence as a well planned and clean city and a sophisticated large  urban center of the country. So much so, during 1980s when well established businesses houses and industrial units found the Communist rule in Calcutta oppressive,  many of them shifted to Bangaluru. Businessmen and Business Houses from Bombay and Delhi found Bangalore an attractive investment destination as also a very tantalizing living place. By the eighties Bangalore was turning into a large industrial, commercial and a residential city of the country. 

Mysuru Property Owners – A Harassed Lot

Recent notification by the Mysore City Corporation [MCC] asking the property  owners of Mysore City to provide certain ownership documents to enable it to digitize ownership records raises certain fundamental questions with regards to its necessity and  the functioning of the MCC. Further it also unnecessarily exposes the property owners to certain risks. Following facts will confirm the fears of the property owners.

1.     Every Property Owner would have got a construction plan “approved” by the MCC, and only then  carried out the construction of the property in question.

 

2.     At the time of seeking such construction plan for approval, the owner has to  compulsorily provide the ownership document/s along with the Proposed Construction Plan.

 

3.     Before occupying the  constructed property, the Owner has to seek an  “Occupancy Certificate” [OC/NOC] from the  MCC to ensure that the building is as per the approved plan and that there is no variation.  Necessary documents have to be provided at that time also to the MCC.

 

4.     A OC or NOC is given for Occupancy only after an  inspection by the concerned MCC authority who ‘ensures the adherence’ to the approved plan.

 

5.     After OC, it is the MCC which is the authority to issue a Khatha certificate to the building owner after providing necessary documents.

 

6.     It is the MCC which approves the Property Tax based on the measurements of the area of the land and the area of the constructed area where the necessary records and inspection by the MCC authority is involved.

 

7.     Property Tax is modified by the MCC based on the random inspection and verifications by its authority.

 

8.     Such Property Tax establishes the ownership and property details by the MCC.

 

9.     UPOR Certification: Apart from the MCC, in the recent past a government established authority has  scientifically measured and established the ownership of the property in the Mysore City after getting necessary legal documents from its owner and has issued Urban Property Ownership Record [UPOR] for which the owners were made to pay certain fees.

 

That being the case, what is the logic in seeking afresh hard copies of ownership documents, property and its owner’s photos?  Such illogical notification raises following further questions:

1.     Every Property Owner in Mysore is aware of the fact that the MCC is under-staffed and is working with temporary staff. And even a simple annual Property Tax collection is done in a very haphazard manner causing a lot of harassment to the property owners.

 

2.     For reason not publicly known MCC is unable to clear applications for issuing OC/NOC for new property, and  there is a lot of suspicion of corruption in this matter.

 

3.     Recently certain MUDA officials were suspected to have issued fake documents which exposed the lack of safety of ownership records at the hands of the concerned authority.

 

4.     Therefore, with such a large number of temporary employees of the MCC and inefficiency aplenty, how safe will be the copies of original ownership records?

 

5.     Above all, when all necessary  ownership records are / ought to be with the MCC, when the MCC is the issuing authority of KHATHA, where is the need for the owners to once again provide certain legal documents?

 

6.     Most of all, why is it that the UPOR records are NOT accepted by the MCC? And unnecessarily repeating the entire exercise, that too at the cost of the and risk of the owners?

The property owners, (honest ones, of course) in Mysore are a very harassed lot and unnecessarily exposed to risks of misuse of their ownership records. Therefore, it is time to pressurize the concerned government authorities and the MCC to drop this Togalakian step.

Mysuru Airport Expansion - New Impediments by R. Chandra Prakash

Mysuru Airport has been in the news for quite some time, but most of the time for only wrong reasons!  However, recently there was one piece of good news. Finally the state government has agreed to release funds for the acquisition of necessary additional land to facilitate runway expansion so that bigger planes can operate from Mysuru Airport. This would facilitate Mysuru getting  air connectivity to other important cities in the country. This would further accelerate the development of tourism and IT & BT industries around Mysuru.

However, at a time when Mysoreans were  looking forward to such a happy scenario, there  are new impediments which threaten the development of Mysuru Airport. It looks as if this project is jinxed!

An NOC from AAI

As per latest Notification issued by the  Airport Authority of India [AAI] all new high rises within 56km radius of Mysuru Airport must get a No Objection Certificate [NOC] from AAI. It has released a color-coded zoning map for Mysuru airport, categorizing areas into Green, Pink, Yellow and Red Zones. These zones specify height limits for structures and natural obstructions that could endanger aircraft operations.

The zoning map indicates clear guidelines for safe urban development around the airport. Red Zone indicating the most-restricted area near the runway, surrounded by Yellow, Pink and Green Zones extending outwards. The local authorities, such as Mysore City Corporation, Mysore Development Authority; Nanjangud Town, and parts of Chamarajnagar and Mandya Districts located within 56km radius, have been informed to approve construction plans within their respective areas, only after the applicants receive an NOC from AAI. Telecommunications towers, already located  and to be located in future within the said 56km radius areas also required to be governed by this NOC requirements.

Master Pan and the Implications of NOC

It is to be noted that the plans for expansion and development of Mysuru Airport have been in the public domain for more than two decades. During this very period Mysore-Nanjangud Master Plan-2031 had been in the public discussions, and was finally approved by the concerned authorities in 2014-15. As per this Master Plan the expanded  urbanization area was to include lands between erstwhile Mysuru city limits and Nanjangud town limits. The Mysuru Airport, interestingly, is located at Mandakalli village, which happens to be, more or less, at the epicenter of  this newly carved and expanded urbanized area!

Due to the overall effect of the Master Plan the private agricultural lands between these two areas have quickly converted into commercial and industrial plots. Even the KIADB has established several new industrial estates there. The land values have shot up geometrically. The urban area of Mysuru city has now gone beyond Mandakalli village and many residential layouts and buildings have sprung up here. Many such constructions are not very far away from the present airport boundary. Mysuru City Corporation has established one new Solid Waste Management unit on the land not very far away from the airport.

Mysuru is looking forward to all-round faster economic development, particularly after new Expressway between Mysuru and Bangalore which has reduced the distance between the two cities to just 90 minutes. This strong economic growth of Mysuru is also stimulated  by the increased traffic congestions and cost of living in Bangaluru.   

Will Devanahalli Movement Repeat?

Now it looks as if the  Notification for getting a NOC from AAI, particularly for the areas which could come under the Red Zone, might have come too late! What will happen to high-rises already existing in the Red Zone? What will be the effect on the high land values in these Zones, as the 56km radius area also  includes lands located in Chamarajanagar and Mandya districts? Since the NOC covers  vast areas it will certainly generate very strong opposition from the land owners, developers and other interested parties. It is strongly rumored that much of these lands are under the ownership and control of politicians. Therefore,  a land owners movement could be a very effective tool to corner the government to stall airport expansion projects.  

Just a couple of days ago the Chief Minister agreed to the agitating Devanahalli farmers’ demand and withdrew the proposal to acquire 4000 acres land for establishing an Aviation Museum. Therefore, we will have to keep our fingers crossed and wait.

But there is one more news which does not augur well for the development of Mysuru Airport!

Location of Second Bangalore Airport

The Kempegowda Internation Airport [KIA] at Devanahalli, Bangaluru is reaching its optimal capacity very soon. Therefore, a  second airport for Bangaluru has become necessary. MB Patil, Karnataka Industries and Infrastructure Development Minister, has proposed to the Airports Authority of India [AAI] three locations. Two sites are along Kanakapura Road- near Kaggalipura in Bangaluru Urban District and Harohalli in Bangaluru South [Ramanagara], and the third one is at Chikkasolur in Bangaluru Rural District along the Nelamangala-Kunigal road.

However, aviation expert Devesh Agarwal considers all the three sites not suitable. On the contrary, he has suggested that the new airport be located between Bangaluru and Mysuru. He has opined that “Besides serving several tier-2 cities in the south and southwest of Bangaluru, this new airport will also aid various industries in the region. The Bangaluru-Mysuru Expressway is an added advantage.”

It is noteworthy to recall my articles Demand for International Airport for Mysuru: Some Basic Issues. [Star of Mysore, 19th August 2020] and Has Mysuru Gone Bangaluru Way-3 –KIA Location: A Myopic Decision [Star of Mysore, 29th Dec, 2021] which had in detail elaborated on this issue and had pondered as to how instead of at Devanahalli, a location between Bangaluru and Mysuru would have been an ideal one.

Impact on Mysuru Airport Expansion

If the second airport were to be located between Bangaluru and Mysuru, then the expansion and development of Mysuru Airport will become redundant as second Bangaloru Airport, also an International Airport, will be only about 40-50 km away from Mysuru and because of the new Express Way it would be reachable within one hour.

Unfortunately, Mysuru’s airport seems to be cursed. However, being one of the oldest in the country, it may only remain as a heritage airport!

Trust-Deficit, Bane of Modern Medical System by R. Chandra Prakash

Dr. B. M. Hegde, former Vice Chancellor of Manipal University, had once said “Faith in a Doctor Cures the Patient Fast”. A lot of research is being carried out in fathoming the mysteries of Mind in determining the body responses in a given situation. Placebo treatment, treatment of so called psycho-somatic problems like hypochondria, and providing emotional support to the terminally sick are some of the examples.

But this ‘Faith in a Doctor’, which in other words the ‘Trust in the Doctor’ so central to medical care, is in deficit these days.

Commercialization of Health Care

Medical system in the developed countries have undergone fundamental transformations. Medical research has revolutionized each and every medical field. United States of America has been leading the world in medical research, be it drugs,  or technological support or even medical education.  United States  being a predominantly a private sector oriented economy, health care has remained in the private domain. It could also be the reason for great strides in every medical field. Situation is not much different in Canada and many European countries which are  moving away from the state sponsored health care system. Consequently, Medical Insurance plays critical role in the health care industry of these countries. Obviously, health care  is nowadays commercialized profession.

Under these circumstances how far medical practitioners are capable of fulfilling their Hippocratic Oath, [
A pledge to prescribe only beneficial treatments, according to his abilities and judgment; to refrain from causing harm or hurt; and to live an exemplary personal and professional life], is only a matter of conjecture.

Tip of the Ice-Berg

Getting vaccinated is a routine practice in most of the developed countries. People get routinely vaccinated as a preventive measure against several seasonal illnesses. Health care system world over carries out vaccination against life-crippling diseases like Polio, Tuberculosis, Hepatitis, etc. But the cause for the  trucker’s devastating strike in Canada a couple of years ago, which  had led  to imposing of Emergency in the state of Ottawa, was Corona virus Vaccines. The truckers were asking two questions: 1: ‘How do we know Corona virus vaccines are safe?’ 2: Are there no other better treatments?’ Even in the United States of America citizens in millions had refused to get vaccinated, or even wear masks. There were similar protests even in few European countries.

Truckers’ revolt was only  a tip of a huge trust-deficit in the entire health care industry. And this trust-deficit is not confined to  corona virus vaccines alone, but is spread across the entire spectrum of western medical system. The situation is no  different in India.

Indian Scenario

India has been witness to a gradual dismantling of government’s  free health care  support to the citizens. This has lead to systematic increased privatization of medical services. Some of the government schemes like Ayushman Bharat Yojana, are  trying  to enable the poor and the lower middle class  to access the private medical care.

However, one cannot shy away from the fact that the government’s health care system is crumbling due to bureaucracy and all round deterioration of moral values. At the same time the commercial health care system is equally guilty of practicing ‘pure profit’ orientation over ‘service’. Therefore, the plight of the sick is proverbial ‘between the stools’.

Cost of  Medical Education

As per the Economic Survey 2019-20 there is a shortage of doctors in the country and the doctor-population ratio is 1:1456 against the WHO recommendation of 1:1000. No surprise that there is great demand for medical education. But due  to limited seats and very high cut off merit bench marks in government run institutions, and high costs of privately run medical educational institutions,  today more than 20,000 Indian students are found to be in war torn Ukraine pursuing medial education.

Now the doctors have to acquire higher degrees to become very minutely specialized. Consequently, there are multiple specialists for a single body part. There are Consultants, Interventionists and  a Surgeon specialized in individual body parts. Each one of them undergoes a long period of specialized education and training. The socio-economic costs of such long and specialized medical education and  training for a developing economy like India are very high. By default they inject unethical medical practices.

Practices being “Unethical”

Medical students are taught Generic names of medicines, however as doctors it is the brand names that are prescribed. Even when government supplies Janaushadhi generic medicines which it claims to be of equal quality standards and  cost as low as 10% to only 50% of the prices of their branded counterparts, (which are boons to patients with life-style diseases such as diabetes and hypertension), doctors prefer to prescribe branded medicines. How far this practice is within their Hippocratic Oath is anybody’s guess.

Very recently, Supreme Court ruled that “medical practitioners were forbidden from accepting “gifts” and  “freebies”. It was  disallowing  Rs.4.72 crore  of a  pharma company incurred towards gifting freebies such as hospitality, conference fees, gold coins, LCD TVs’, fridges, laptops etc to medical practitioners  “for creating awareness about the health supplement manufactured by it” claimed as an expenditure item in the business account while calculating the tax on profits. Public knowledge of such nefarious practices sabotage the trust of the patients in the entire medical profession.

Use of modern diagnostic tools and methods are common practices. But when such investigations become suspect due to underhand dealings between the practitioner and the diagnostic labs, the faith in the medical profession gets corroded. But it is common knowledge that some labs do give cut backs, and sometimes their results might even be tilted against the patients.

The Bench Marks on many diagnostic norms are themselves suspect these days. The ‘healthy levels’ of Blood Pleasure, Blood Sugar, or even Cholesterol are nowadays suspected to be manipulated to favor the pharma companies.  They do endanger the trust in the health care system.

Seeking “Second Opinion” has become a common practice among the patients and their caretakers. This is nothing but expression of lack of faith in the first diagnosis.

Expiry dates on the drugs is yet another area of suspicion. There is an awakening that drugs do not lose their potency, but shorter expiry dates help in keeping the manufacturing process, and consequently the  profits, rolling.

In nutshell, trust-deficit sabotages the delicate link between the patient and the medicine. When faith is lost, even the best medicine might not become effective. One cannot but fully agree with Dr.B.M Hedge that Mind is as important, if not more, as Medicine.

Though one should hasten to add that there are doctors who are wedded to their Hippocratic Oath and are rendering yeomen services to the society. I have  several decades long personal relationships with stalwarts in the medical profession, and I have no hesitation in stating that  Mysuru is  lucky in having a living  tradition of such illustrious medical practitioners who have been practicing their profession in a manner which enhances the Trust of patients.