Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)

Mangaluru, Dec 31: No development issues could be transacted at the general session of the Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC) council held here on Saturday December 30. The entire time of the meeting was consumed in hurling of allegations of irregularities in executing ADB first phase project, repair of roads within Suratkal limits etc.

City mayor, Kavitha Sanil, presided over the session. Leader of the opposition, Ganesh Hosabettu, complained about non-repair of roads in and around Suratkal subdivision and failure of the corporation to undertake drinking water projects there. "I had raised this topic many a time in meetings, but there is no response. Three of the wet wells built under ADB first phase project are not functioning. Untreated water from STP plant at Suratkal is being released into Khadige rivulet. In the 80-metre pipeline, there are six leakage points," he stated.

Sudhir Kannur of BJP said that effluents from Bajal wet well too flow out.

MLA, J R Lobo, demanded for the constitution of an experts committee to go into the allegations of irregularities in ADB first phase project. "I was project director of ADB first phase till the end of December 2009. The underground drainage works in Suratkal area were undertaken during 2011. Those who were in power then would be responsible if irregularities have taken place," he insisted. Lobo suggested that mistakes in certain cases can be set right during the execution of ADB second phase project.

Corporator, Premananda Shetty, said that ADB projects worth Rs19 crore were executed in ADB first phase and that Rs 55 crore has been earmarked under 'Amruth' scheme to set the defects right. He felt that allocation of Rs 30 crore for city south constituency and Rs 25 crore for north was not right as corporators were not taken into confidence. But the mayor said that this matter had been discussed in the council meeting.

Some other matters were also discussed. As discussions on ADB projects consumed lot of time, there was shortage of time. Deputy mayor, Rajneesh, standing committee chairpersons, Nagaveni, Abdul Rauf, Pratibha Kulai, Sabita Misquith, Shashidhar Hegde, and corporation commissioner, Mohammed Nazeer, were present.

When the council meet ended and people were dispersing, a verbal friction arose between Congress corporators, Radhakrishna and A C Vinay Raj, after Radhakrishna objected to Vinay Raj's habit of consuming lot of time in the form of starred questions, thus robbing other corporators of chance to speak.