Mangaluru: Former mayor of the Mangaluru City Corporation and senior Congress leader,Hilda Alva, passed away at a private hospital following a prolonged illness on Thursday. She was 72, and is survived by her husband, a son, and a daughter.Serving as a member of the Mangaluru City Corporation from 1983 to 2001, Alva held the office of mayor during 1998-99. She represented the Pachanady and Akashabhavan wards of the city corporation as the corporator. She held the distinction of being the second woman to serve as mayor of the city. Within the Congress party, she held various responsibilities, including serving as the vice-president of the Dakshina Kannada District Congress Committee.A resident of Kavoor, she was affiliated with the Bondel church. She also founded the Catholic Women’s Government Association, and served as its first president.Several prominent figures, including MLC Ivan D’Souza, Konkani Academy president Joachim Stany Alvares, and former Mayor Shashidhar Hegde have expressed their condolences.
