Oppn blames MLA’s interference in MCC work

Mangaluru: The opposition in the Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC) council raised objections to alleged interference of the Mangaluru city BJP MLA in the allotment of funds for various works to be taken up in the city, under the MCC general fund.
The council meeting chaired by mayor Premanand Shetty witnessed an uproar, with the Congress members entering the well of the house and staging a protest. Congress corporators alleged that various development work packages of Rs 7 crore were prepared by Mangaluru City South MLA D Vedavyas Kamath, ignoring corporators. They demanded that the packages be withdrawn.
Following disorder, the mayor adjourned the council meeting and held a meeting with the opposition, and later agreed to take up work, only after spot inspections.
Corporator Abdul Ravoof from the Congress questioned the powers of an MLA, to decide on allotments under general funds to wards in the MCC. “We have no objections in the MLA preparing action plans for development works through his local area development funds without consulting corporators. However, the general funds of the city corporation should be utilised as per the suggestions of the corporators, and it should not be decided by an MLA,” Ravoof said.
The mayor said, “On earlier occasions also, the council had considered several proposals made by MLAs. Proposals for development works to be taken up in the city were prepared by the MLA, based on the requests of citizens from all wards.”
Restore Circles
Corporators demanded that AB Shetty Circle and Hamilton Circle in the city should be developed by rebuilding circles, instead of developing traffic islands.
While BJP corporator Diwakar demanded a circle at AB Shetty Circle, instead of a traffic island, Congress member Shashidhar Hegde pointed out that a circle is necessary at the Hamilton Circle. Both circles were demolished recently, to create a traffic island as part of a plan to make Clock Tower-AB Shetty Circle-Hamilton Circle-Rao&Rao Circle-Clock Tower stretch a circular one-way loop road.
The mayor said both circles will be reconstructed, and there will be no efforts to rename the places.