District Youth Congress president Mithun Rai on Tuesday accused Mangaluru City South MLA D. Vedavyas Kamath and the BJP-ruled Mangaluru City Corporation Council of being a “Tughlaq darbar” by taking up a host of road development works all at the same time creating traffic chaos in the central business district area in the city.
Reacting to it, Mr. Kamath hit back and said that it was the Congress government that was a “Tughlaq darbar”.
Talking to reporters here on Tuesday, Mr. Rai said that under Smart City Mission, a host of road works have been taken up all at the same time. Roads have been dug up in several areas, including the busy Hampankatta Junction, which caused hardship to people on Monday.
“I do not know whether the ruling council and Mr. Kamath lack administrative experience or are mindlessly spending money available under the mission. It is a ‘Tuglaqh darbar’,” he said.
Hitting back at Mr. Rai without taking his name, Mr. Kamath accused the Congress of being “Tughlaq darbar” in the city in its 70-year rule. He said that with maladministration by the Congress government, several development works have been a non-starter.
Mr. Kamath said that the Congress government laid the foundation stone for building an apartment complex for 930 houses for poor people in Shaktinagar. This project has been a non-starter as the land on which this was proposed to come up was a deemed forest land. He said that the Congress government laid foundation stones for building markets in Kadri and Kankanady without ensuring finance for the two projects. A large number of people in Bengre were issued title deeds without carrying out survey of land. “These are some of the instances of ‘Tughlaq darbar’ by the Congress government,” he said.
The MLA said that the BJP government has taken up development works across the city and these are bound to create some problems for citizens. “We are ensuring that people are put to least inconvenience,” he said and added that the work taken up at Hampankatta Junction has been pending for over 20 years. “We had to take up the work of replacing the old water line and drainage network. This work will be completed in a record period,” he said. The road work taken up on Car Street will be completed in a month’s time, he added.