MCC holds first physical meeting after 3 months

Team Udayavani, Jul 30, 2021, 9:16 AM IST

Mangaluru: The first physical general session of the Mangaluru City Corporation post-lockdown was held on July 29. The last session before the advent of the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic was held on March 31, 2021.

Various issues were discussed in the meeting.

Municipal Commissioner Akshay Sridhar informed the session that the contract of Antony Waste Management Company which was collecting waste within city limits will end this month. A detailed project report will be prepared soon and a new tender will be called for in the month of August.

Opposition member Abdul Rauf stated that the vaccine supply was not meeting the demand in the city. Adding that the taluk medical officer had informed him that 13,000 people are yet to receive the second dose of Covaxin.

Responding to this, Mayor Premanand Shetty said that the issue will be brought to the attention of the concerned authorities.

Corporator Shashidar Hegde said that a few days ago, the city bus station was moved to the service bus station, however, the lack of basic amenities there was causing problems for travellers.

The mayor responded by saying that he had discussed this with the Deputy Commissioner. The relocation was done at the request of the public and the bus operators. Adding that the DC said that the decision would be changed if it was causing too much trouble to the public.

The general council was also asked to decide on seeking approval from the government for renaming Ladyhill Circle as Brahmashree Narayana Guru Circle.

Corporator Anil Kumar said that the bicycle track is a good project but it should not affect pedestrians and motorists. Adding that necessary advice should be taken before further construction.

The municipal commissioner responded to it by saying that it was a pilot project to benefit school and college students and will take appropriate action before expanding the project.

Opposition Congress member Vinayaraj said that it was illegal to procure the 9.4-acre land near Bondel for the construction of an IT park in the city through TDR.

The mayor responded to it by saying that no specific land would be acquired by TDR.

Corporator Keshav said that that the work on a bus stand at Pumpwel had not started even as several months had passed after acquiring the land for it.

The municipal commissioner responded that tenders have already been called for it 3 times but no tender applications were received. Adding that they have decided to redesign the tender and issue it again.

The mayor informed the general council that the first phase of the Regional Development Fund for the year 2021-22 has been approved. Opposition members raised objections to it and demanded Rs 50 lakh instead.

The mayor responded by promising that more funds will be released in the next phase after a revision in the budget that will be presented in late December.

Other issues discussed included the resumption of water adalats, lack of adequate barriers in Ulhasnagar and Shantinagar, problems caused by roads being dug up for GAIL pipeline and the semi-constructed Krishnapur market.