Udupi: Former MLA Raghupathi Bhat said he will stage a dharna in front of the Udupi Urban Development Authority (UUDA) office during office hours from Monday, alleging undue delay and rejection of his application for single-layout approval for a resort project at Badanidiyoor in Udupi taluk.Bhat, who was expelled from the BJP, accused incumbent MLA Yashpal Suvarna of obstructing the project’s clearance.“Ever since I entered political life in 1996, I have held several protests in the general interest of the public. I have been an industrialist engaged in business since 1990, and politics was never a profession for me,” Bhat said. He said he planned to promote tourism by developing a beach resort on 1.6 acres.Bhat said he obtained all necessary permissions and submitted an application for single layout approval on March 20, 2024. “However, even after two years, I have not received a single layout approval from the UUDA, and my application was rejected,” he said, alleging Suvarna’s interference.He said the government issued an order on Feb 20 allowing single layout approval. “Despite serving as an MLA for three tenures, my application has been kept pending even though the project received CRZ and other necessary clearances,” Bhat said.Responding, Suvarna said he had no personal interest or ill intent in the matter.“Members of the local Karavali Yuvaka Mandala and local fishermen have objected to the granting of a single layout in Badanidiyoor, alleging the creation of fraudulent records, and have filed a complaint,” Suvarna said. He said the former UUDA commissioner was suspended earlier in connection with the same case.He said the Yuvaka Mandala had filed a complaint with the Lokayukta, that the file was under investigation, and that a public interest litigation had also been filed in the high court.“As a responsible legislator, I have written a letter on behalf of the public, urging action in accordance with regulations regarding this file, based on the request of the Yuvaka Mandala and local fishermen,” Suvarna said.
