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Mangalore: Unutilised MUDA funds a serious issue - guidelines demanded

Mangalore: Unutilised MUDA funds a serious issue - guidelines demanded


Mangalore Today News Network

Mangalore, Aug 29, 2014:  Mangalore Urban Development Authority (MUDA) not utilising funds for developing civic amenities in the city has irked  Mayor Mahabala Marla and  has proposed to form a set of guideline for utilisation of funds collected by MUDA in the form of fee for single site approvals.

The issue came up at the monthly meeting of the council of Mangalore City Corporation at the council hall on August 28.

 

Mayor mahabala marla on MUDA Funds

 

Mayor mahabala marla


Presenting facts before the council, Corporator A C Vinayraj said that MUDA has collected Rs 30 crore from the general public in last six years, for granting single site approval in MCC limits. Though the fund is supposed to be utilised for providing civic amenities in the city, the MUDA has not utilised the amount for the purpose. To a query asking details of utilising the lump-sum fee amount, there was no clear reply from the MUDA, he said.

Taking a serious view, Mayor pointed out that while MUDA was collecting fee in bulk, it played no role in developing the city. “We will discuss the issue and form guidelines in this regard,” he said.

Street light contracts:  Most of the corporators complained about poor maintenance of street lights in their respective wards, Mayor Mahabala Marla directed the officials to revise the tender conditions and ensure that contractors work efficiently. The tender conditions should direct the workers to work in two shifts. The contractors who have violated the tender conditions in the past must not be allowed to participate in the bidding process. The copy of revised tender conditions will be handed over to every corporator in the next meeting, he said.

Hike in compensation:
  The council passed a resolution to hike the compensation amount for rabid dog bite cases from the existing Rs 1,000 to Rs 5,000. The revised amount is also applicable to stray dog bites and victims bitten by venomous creatures like snakes. Earlier, these two categories were not considered for compensation.

About some of the proposals that have been placed before the MCC standing committee for city planning, the Mayor said that there was a proposal to allow banks to set up ATMs in bus stops. “This will serve two purposes. It will not only bring revenue to the Corporation, but also will help in maintenance and providing security at the bus stops,” he said.

He also said that the MCC has paid centage charge of Rs 12.6 lakh to the railways department to start the work on railway underbridge at Jeppu Kudpadi. The Corporation has written to the department seeking the execution of the work, he said.  The Mayor assured of convening another meeting of the councillors to discuss major issues pertaining to the MCC within 15 days.

New pollution policy and MCF:   At the Council meeting, Corporator A C Vinayraj expressed apprehension over the “closure” of Mangalore Chemicals and Fertilizers Ltd (MCF), due to the new pollution control policy of the Ministry of Environment and Forest. Though he had no clear information about the new policy, he said that over 800 employees will be thrown to street if the MCF is closed. Taking note of it, the Mayor assured of discussing the matter with elected representatives and pass a resolution in the interest of MCF.

MCF Director Prabhakar Rao, informed media that he denied any threat to the existence of the company. “There is no policy change as such, but perhaps the corporator might have referred to a recent guideline issued by the Central and State Pollution Control Board. According to the guideline, 17 categories of industries have been asked to put continuos pollution monitoring system in place. As no such system is available in the country, we have submitted a representation to the Board saying that no such display system is available for the time being. The Board has set a deadline of March, 2015 for implementing the system. But, the Board might review the guidelines based on our representation. The MCF will not be affected in any manner,” he clarified.


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