India, May 27 -- From CITB legacy to MUDA scams: Can the new MDA restore public Trust?

By R. Raghu (Kautilya)

[Translated from Kannada into English by Star of Mysore News Editor B.C. Thimmaiah]

There's an old saying: "Closing the fortress gates after the town has been looted." In the case of Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA), this adage has a twist - loot first, then change the name - which is precisely what many believe has happened.

MUDA was at the centre of one of Karnataka's biggest land scams. Allegations reached the doorstep of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's family and legal battles are underway.

Now, MUDA has been renamed Mysuru Development Authority (MDA), with a new framework and set of regulations. But had this trans...