Daijiworld media network – Udupi (TP)

Udupi, Jun 21: The Agricultural Produce and Livestock Market Committee (APMC) in Adi Udupi is facing demands from the traders union to cancel the lease cum sale agreement for a 54-cent land deed carried out by APMC officials in the APMC Adi Udupi yard. This land was originally reserved for retail traders to conduct their businesses and sell farmers' produce to consumers.

During a press conference held on Wednesday, June 21, Vijay Kodavoor, a member of the CMC, expressed his concerns, stating, "The APMC authorities sold the land at an extremely low price under the lease cum sale mode. The market value of 1 cent of land is Rs 9 lakh, but the authorities sold it for Rs 1 lakh, resulting in a significant loss for the government. If the land had been sold at market price, the total value would have been Rs 4,69,80,000. However, the current lease cum sale agreement for the 54-cent land is valued at approximately Rs 84,32,240, resulting in a loss of Rs 3,81,47,760 for the government."

Ramakanth Kamath, a former member of APMC, added, "The storehouses constructed by APMC are based on a leave and license agreement, which has resulted in some storehouses remaining vacant. The former MLA spoke to street vendors and encouraged them to use the storehouses, and obtained Rs 10 lakh in funds for the development of the storehouses, as well as the construction of roads and sheds. The authorities utilized a prime location to construct the storehouses and then sold them under a lease cum sale agreement."

Under the lease cum sale agreement, the purchaser of the land is required to construct a storehouse within a year. After 10 years, the land becomes the property of the purchaser. In a leave and license agreement, the trader pays fees as long as they use the land and vacates it once the license expires. According to the bylaws, corner lands are not supposed to be sold, yet the authorities went ahead and sold them. Furthermore, government lands owned by the city municipality are not to be sold to any association. Even existing storehouses were sold under lease cum sale agreements.

Subhashith, president of Modi Brigade district and Udupi Taluk Farmers Association, Vijay Kumar Udyavar, former president of APMC, Raghavendra Uppoor, executive member of the State Raitha Morcha, APMC trader Fayaz Ahmad, and others were present during the press conference.