Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SB)
Mangaluru, Apr 10: Corporator of Kankanady Valencia ward Asha Gretta D’ Silva clarified her stance on the road widening project at Red Building Lane and also dismissed the allegations against her made by the residents of the lane.
Speaking to Daijiworld.com, she said, "Currently, there are no plans of road widening at Red Building Lane. But considering future development, people constructing new house or buildings should spare adequate amount of space for road. If not, they will be denied permission for the building by the corporation. That is the rule of Mangaluru City Corporation. This is not applicable for existing buildings or compounds. My first priority as a corporator was to provide a good drainage system at Red Building lane. Already, Rs 12 lac has been sanctioned for the project. Based on fund availability, I will try to finish it."
Refuting allegations made by some residents of Red Building Lane, she said, "We never prepared any estimate report for road widening nor sent notices to residents. Then how will the project be undertaken? In future, there are possibilities of demand for wider road. Compounds and buildings may be demolished. So keeping in mind the welfare of the residents, we are advising them to leave 20 feet space for road before starting any constructions."
"I never played politics in development works and for my own benefit. The allegations against me are purely based on political motivation and personal grudge. Some residents have already grabbed the road area and used it for constructing of the compound. They are behind all these allegations. They are spreading wrong information and fear among the residents," she clarified.
Answering a query on the survey officials who had visited Red Building Lane, she said, "I do not know who sent them and why they visited the area. After getting information from your media, I spoke to corporation officials and asked for clarification."
History of case
As per the version from some residents, they had given a petition to provide drainage facility at Red Building Lane in 2014. It was conveyed to them that the proposal was approved in a council meeting and standing committee meeting in 2016. But later when a resident of the locality applied for a license for a new house, he was told that as the road would be widened there to 9 meters, his license cannot be sanctioned as per plan.
Some residents sought information on the road widening proposal through Right To Information (RTI) Act on 10 October 2016. They received a reply on 29 November 2016, which said that the residents themselves had demanded for road widening in 2014 through a petition.
Upon verification, they learned that the petition submitted for the drainage was ‘doctored’ and the same was turned into a petition demanding road widening.
Recently some protests were held on the lane and also near Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC) demanding cancellation of proposed road widening.