The Opposition members in the Mangaluru City Corporation charged during the meeting at the Council Hall on Wednesday that the G+3 Housing scheme launched by former MLA J R Lobo was a total failure.
“Beneficiaries were left disillusioned,” the BJP corporators said during the meeting.
BJP Corporator Premanand Shetty said that those who had received allotment letters are now running from pillar to post for possession of apartments. “Initially, 930 houses had been promised to the people without homes. Land had been identified at Shaktinagar. No work has begun in Shaktinagar and the land too has not been levelled so far. The contract for construction of the housing complex has been cancelled,” charged Shetty.
Counter argument
Former Mayor and Congress Corporator Kavitha Sanil as well as Corporator Appi countered the allegations. They declared that the Centre’s housing schemes had also been unsuccessful. “How many toilets have been built under the Swaccha Bharat Scheme in Mang,” they asked.
This, however, triggered a verbal duel between the ruling party members and Opposition members.
Corporators Deepak Poojary and Appi alleged that the sewage carried in private vehicles outside Mangaluru was being dumped in different manholes in the city.
“Why has the project on the slaughter house Effluent Treatment Plant (ETP) been dropped from the list of projects planned under the Smart City Project? The STP at Mullakadu is functioning badly and the stench has spread all over the area,” they pointed out.
Greenery cess
MCC Commissioner Mohammed Nazir said that the private sewage carriers were given permission by the Corporation to dump waste into the MCC cess pool for 13 weeks. The private carriers were charged Rs 250 a vehicle. He clarified that the ETP was included in the revised list of Smart City Project.
Kavitha Sanil and Tilak Raj complained about acute water shortage in their wards.
Corporator A C Vinay Raj raised the issue of poor maintenance of parks. “Even though about Rs eight crore has been collected as greenery cess since 2003, the fund has not been utilised properly. The parks in Corporation jurisdiction lack maintenance,” he complained.
Vinay Raj also urged the Mangaluru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) to rejuvenate lakes in Mangaluru.
'Rename Bejai New Road after George'
Mangaluru City Corporation resolved to submit a proposal to the district administration on renaming Bejai New Road after former Defence Minister George Fernandes, who passed away on Tuesday.
MCC member Lancelot Pinto submitted the proposal to rename Bejai New Road after George Fernandes. Pinto, who represents Bejai ward, said that George had spent his childhood in Bejai.