Pics: Mohan Kuthar

Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)

Mangaluru, Jun 30: After the auction process of 31 shops located at Deralakatte within Belma gram panchayat limits was completed, the panchayat, which used to get annual rental of Rs 6.5 lacs, will henceforth earn Rs 1.5 crore per year from the same shops.

A poultry shop in the panchayat building was auctioned for rent of Rs 1,66,500 per month whereas a fish stall commanded monthly rent of Rs 1,12,200. Earlier, the poultry shop brought rent of only Rs 3,000 per month. Hyder from Adkare bought this shop on rent of Rs 1,66,500. The fish stall commanded rent of Rs 2,160 per month in the past.

Since the last several years, shops at Deralakatte had not been auctioned by the panchayat, and rents were revised every year by a small margin. As there was immense pressure from various quarters to go for auction this time, under the instructions of the zilla panchayat, the panchayat development officer had set the auction procedures rolling about eight months back. The auction had been postponed thrice under pressure from shop owners. On Thursday, in the presence of police force, 28 out of 31 shops were given on rent through auction.

Many objected to the auction, saying that the panchayat administration had promised to give the shops to petty shops that were operational in the area before the building came up and that the original occupants will face problems. But the panchayat administration did not pay heed to these objections. Referring to the information that in the past, shop owners had given their shops on higher rent to others, panchayat development officer, Naveen Hegde, said that there is no provision to sublet these shops. He said that the shops will be run by the persons who got them by auction from August 1 and that in case rent remains unpaid for three months, shops will be taken back and put to auction again.

President of the panchayat Vijaya Krishnappa oversaw the auction process. Vice president Abdul Sattar was present.