Mysore City Corp to complete Mayura complex

While the two lakh sq. feet Makkaji Chowk complex, planned in the heart of Mysore is caught up in a controversy again, the Mysore City Corporation (MCC) has formally announced release of tenders for its second commercial complex, the 43,000 square feet Mayura complex.

At a press conference jointly addressed by Mayor Bharati and Commissioner A B Ibrahim, the new commercial facility was announced.

The half-built skeletal Mayura complex has a history of nearly two decades. Work on the Rs 2.75 crore three-storey complex began after then President Zail Singh laid the foundation, but came to a halt soon after.

In 1988, Khoday Engineering took up the work, but it was cancelled in 1989 for 'tardy progress'. In 1998-99, a tender for Rs 95 lakh was rejected for being 'far below the tender amount'. Now, a global tender has been issued.

"The tender has two proposals - one, under DOMT (Develop, Operate, Maintain, and Transfer) and two, an outright sale. The tender document, prepared by the Infrastructure Development Corporation of India, is published in newspapers and in the prestigious India Trade Journal, and is also available on the internet," the Commissioner said.

While November 28 is the last date for obtaining RPF documents, November 30 is fixed as the last date for submission.

"The best of the two offers will go before the MCC joint committee and the council by December. It will then be sent to the government for approval,? Ibrahim said.

"It can be a structure with one lakh sq ft floor area. The place has a huge market potential as a family shop or a mall, with wide roads and residential places all around," he said. "The Mayura complex tender offer is similar to the Makkaji Chowk tender. We have followed the same procedure," he said, claiming transparency in both the offers. "Those who are criticising the Makkaji Chowk proposal have an open offer now. They can quote their highest bid amount."

The acceptance of the offer of a Bangalore-based shopping mall developer to build a commercial complex under BOOT (Build, Own, Operate and Transfer) in the Makkaji Chowk by the MCC at its meeting on October 10 has raised a host of controversies.

The Maverick Holdings and investment Pvt Ltd. of Bangalore, is reported to have offered the proposal on a quarterly rental of Rs 75,37,500 over a 40-year period. A former deputy mayor B Siddaraju and former BJP MLA A Ramadas have alleged irregularities and administrative lapses, while the Shiv Sena involvement of money. Opposing the proposal, the mini-lorry owners have held a demonstration.

One of their contentions is that the bid amount is too low for this open place in the heart of the city. It would get at least Rs 100 crore.

BJP MP from Mysore H Vijaya Shankar said that in response to a letter he had written, the chief minister N Dharam Singh had stayed the tender and sought a report.

He, however, maintained that the government had not sought any clarification so far. "The position is the proposal is with the government. We are awaiting its clearance."