Council in limbo, citizens fume over bad roads

November 13, 2013

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Stanley Pinto, TNN |

MANGALORE: With the council not being formed in the past eight months after elections, the longest ever in the history of the city corporation, many development works are in a state of limbo. The major work being seen in most of the wards is only grass cutting.The monsoons ended a month ago, but still there is no sign of asphalting. The potholes in some areas are being covered with mud.

Physician Dr Kakkilaya wonders why there were elections to the city corporation at all. “It has been eight months and we are yet to get a mayor and the local body governing. It is indeed surprising that the political party, now at the helm both at the state government and at the city corporation, has not taken any interest in resolving the issue, apparently arising out of bickering within its own ranks,” says the physician. Without mayor, all development and even maintenance works within the city seem to have been stalled.

The Tulunadu Rakshana Vedike on Monday took out a protest demanding immediate repairs and asphalt to the Kulshekar-Shakthi Nagar road.

Arun Kumar, president of the vedike, observes that many vehicles have met with accidents. Vehicles hitting pedestrians or going off the road while avoiding potholes are common.

Dr Kakkilaya notes in the absence of an approved budget for an entire year, it is impossible to know the flow of money into and out of the corporation’s coffers. “The only decision that seems to have been taken, and a dubious one at that, is the re-appointment of the retired health officer, who was under suspension for some time during his last tenure. If that is any pointer, then nothing much can be expected, even if a new mayor were to take office in the near future,” he adds.

Neil Rodrigues, senior project manager at Infosys, also chairman of Mangalore Round Table, points out that Kodialguth East road is in a deplorable condition. “With no proper garbage clearance system in place, residents have converted an empty plot into a dumping yard,” Neil said.

But in some cases, the corporators seem to respond despite not being inducted into council officially.

Ruchir Agarwal of Shivbagh says things were in a bad shape with weeds growing all over. “Corporator Sabitha responded to my call promptly and started the work of grass cutting which is almost complete as of now,” he says. However, he notes that there is garbage dumped indiscriminately on road sides by some people which needs to be cleared up.

Source-http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com