Udupi: AdiUdupi APMC yard lessees have brazenly chopped down trees and razed government-funded interlock pavements to erect storage facilities on four plots, claims Vijay Kodavoor, head of APMC Rakshana Samithi, igniting fresh outrage over alleged administrative malfeasance.

In a media interaction, Kodavoor alleged that officials illicitly doled out 54 cents of prime yard real estate on a lease-cum-sale basis at a paltry ₹1.65 lakh per cent, versus prevailing ₹10 lakh valuations, bypassing the elected board's sole prerogative for such allocations. The controversy traces to 2023, when the parcel was subdivided into 11 plots amid protests and assigned to bidders despite outcries.

"This is a blatant undervaluation, especially in land-scarce Udupi where public tracts are scarce," Kodavoor fumed, urging retention of government holdings over hasty handovers. On October 27, traders allegedly felled foliage and demolished pavements laid via state grants, ignoring a prior alert to Udupi Range Forest Officer (RFO) and APMC on October 21. "No equipment seizure by forestry; it's a free pass for destruction," he lamented, noting a pending suit contesting the allotments.

Kodavoor vowed to petition Udupi SP for enforcement against violators and stage demonstrations, extending the Samithi's 2 years 8 months resistance to perceived favouritism. The episode amplifies longstanding gripes over APMC mismanagement, where officials allegedly prioritise private gains over public utility, eroding rural market infrastructure in a district with limited state-owned expanses.

As the court battle looms, the fallout threatens broader trader accountability, with calls for probes into undervalued deals mirroring encroachments cleared elsewhere in Udupi, like Kodavoor beach in March 2025.