Plans initiated for Hampankatte Car park cum commercial complex

Plans initiated for Hampankatte Car park cum commercial complex

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangaluru, Oct 25,2016: Reports indicate that the multi-level car park-cum-commercial complex project proposal in the city came a step closer with  J.R. Lobo, MLA, Mangaluru City South,  began holding a series of consultations with land owners whose land is required for the project.

According to MLA Lobo, the next meeting will be held on November 7. He told media after the meeting that the project is slated to come up on public-private partnership (PPP) model. “The land owners are demanding prime areas of the building project for them. Whoever would invest in the project would also require prime areas. Hence, a consensus would have to be arrived at on sharing. This would require a series of consultations,” he said. Officials of the MCC, Mangaluru City Corporation are also participating.

It was in July 2014 that the council of  MCC, Mangaluru City Corporation withdrew the project given to MUDA, Mangaluru Urban Development Authority after MUDA failed in the effort for five years towards making the project a reality at Hampankatta. Of the 215.50 cents of land available at the old service bus stand at Hampankatta, the civic body owns 155 cents. The remaining 60.50 cents – that house five buildings – belong to three private parties.

The then Urban Development Minister Vinay Kumar Soarke had said that the government could sanction 50 per cent of the project cost through DUTA,  Directorate of Urban Transport Authority under the Urban Development Department. The government wanted to reduce the density of vehicles in city corporations in the State. Hence, DUTA had been constituted with an objective to coordinate planning and implementation of urban transport projects and programmes.

According to MLA Lobo, the city corporation now has sought the professional guidance of the Karnataka Urban Infrastructure Development and Finance Corporation (KUIDFC) to implement the move. He said that the KUIDFC would act like a consultancy on design, finance and implementation aspects.

MLA Lobo added that matters related to building a modern central market building were also discussed in Oct 24,Monday’s meeting. Discussions would again continue on November 7.