Nearly 1,200 tenants occupying commercial complexes and outlets belonging to Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) have been issued eviction notice as a precursor to the conduct of a fresh auction.
This is the fallout of the imperatives of raising additional resources for the cash-strapped MCC, which receives a pittance by way of rent from these commercial establishments.
MCC Commissioner Gurudutt Hegde told The Hindu that most of the commercial buildings and outlets were rented out more than 20 years ago and the corporation does not receive rent commensurate with the prevailing market rates.
“They are paying tenfold below the prevailing market rates for commercial buildings, and the rents, depending on floor area, vary from ₹100 to ₹200 or ₹500 to ₹1,000, and in some cases even less,” he said. This is against the rentals that could range from ₹5,000 to ₹10,000.
“As per the law, we have to go for fresh auctioning after 12 years. So we have issued eviction notice and have to go through the process as per the government norms,” the Commissioner said.
Many of the original tenants are no longer occupying the shops, but they have sub-leased the buildings and are earning a higher rent, which is illegal while paying a nominal rent to the MCC. Hence, a fresh auction has been called to streamline the occupancy as well as bring the rents on a par with the prevailing market rates.
Market spared
However, the tenants of Devaraja Market have been spared as the issue pertaining to the demolition of the structure is before the court and there is a stay on it. There are nearly 1,900 MCC-owned outlets, including commercial complexes, but 1,200 will be affected by the move as the remaining are in the Devaraja Market complex.
Apart from shops at Devaraja Market, the MCC has outlets in Mandi Market, Visveswaraiah Building, Dhanawantri Road, Chamaraja Double Road etc.
This is not the first time the MCC has tried to evict the tenants. There was resistance earlier as the tenants argued heir businesses were established and relocation would amount to disruption.
