Mangaluru: MLC Ivan D’Souza said that Mangaluru City South MLA D Vedavyas Kamath was indulging in politics in the name of development.The Congress MLC told reporters on Saturday that, instead of working unitedly for the overall development of Mangaluru city, the BJP MLA was trying to gain political mileage by making false allegations. “While the MLA accused the govt of not releasing funds for development, he was also laying foundation stones for various development works. Where did the funds come from?” the MLC questioned.
D’Souza said the MLA should take an all-party delegation to the govt seeking funds, and questioned what major projects the MLA brought to the city three years ago when the BJP govt was in power in the state. The Mangaluru City South constituency had BJP MLAs for over 20 years, except during 2013-2018 when Congress’s JR Lobo was the legislator, he said.“Under the Mahatma Gandhi Nagara Vikas Yojana, works worth Rs 125 crore were taken up in the first phase. In the second phase, tenders were floated for works worth Rs 165 crore. Dakshina Kannada deputy commissioner Darshan HV, who is also the administrator of the MCC, recently approved 225 works worth Rs 10 crore. Are these not development works? The MLA should stop misleading the public by making false allegations,” MLC D’Souza said.Rs 1,250 demanded for UGDD’Souza said that he urged chief minister Siddaramaiah, who will be presenting the state budget on March 6, to earmark Rs 1,250 crore to be released in a phased manner to improve the UGD network in the city. He said wells were contaminated and sewage was being discharged into open drains due to a lack of a proper UGD network in the city. “I sought Rs 100 crore as a special package for the development of Mangaluru city,” he said.A proposal was submitted to develop a ring road along the seashore, develop Sasihitlu and Bengre beaches, and set up five-star hotels to promote tourism. The MLC said that a request was also made to reserve funds to establish a high court bench or circuit bench in Mangaluru.
