Citizens seeking services at the Mangaluru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) office are enduring significant delays, largely due to absentee officials and an inefficient system. Many applicants, especially those looking to get layout plans approved, are left waiting for hours with no one available to assist them at the counters.
The lack of availability from urban planning officials is a major concern, as they are rarely present, and when they do show up, it is usually late in the day. They often cite site visits and inspections as reasons for their absence. When present, they tend to return applications with notes requiring owners to be physically present, further hindering the process.
Adding to the frustration, MUDA has implemented a token system, which is uncommon in most government offices. Citizens arriving in the morning are given tokens numbered 50 or 60 and are left to wait until late in the day. By the time their number is called, the office is closed, forcing them to return the next day. However, tokens from the previous day are discarded, forcing visitors to start the process all over again. This inefficient system has led to growing frustration among the public, with no clear sign of improvement.
Intermediaries are prohibited from entering the office, but complaints of favoritism persist. Senior citizens, like Yashavanth, claim that files submitted directly to officials are cleared swiftly, while those processed at counters face indefinite delays. There are also allegations that applicants are pressured to pay bribes to overcome obstacles placed in their way.
MUDA is once again embroiled in controversy following previous scandals involving official arrests, Lokayukta raids, and manipulation of files. A retired driver has reportedly taken charge inside the office, arriving daily at 10 a.m. to oversee operations, with no clear accountability.
While some officers do reportedly arrive early in the morning, their activities remain unclear, and file processing continues to stall. Citizens argue that if officials were to process files on a daily basis, there would be no need for applicants to wait for days.
MUDA Chairman Sadashiva Ullal acknowledged these issues, attributing delays to key position vacancies like TPM-1, TPO-1, and ATP-2. With one officer juggling multiple roles, inefficiency is unavoidable. He assured the public that he has raised the matter with the urban development minister and is hopeful that new appointments will resolve these ongoing problems.
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