The Hindu 20.10.2010
Chitradurga CMC approves three schemes under KMRP
Staff Correspondent
| They include solid waste management unit at Dymavvanahalli |
Some members say they were not consulted before finalising the schemes
Water meters to be installed in houses under third phase of project
Chitradurga: The Chitradurga City Municipal Council (CMC) on Tuesday approved three schemes worth Rs. 12.27 crore under the Karnataka Municipal Reforms Project (KMRP) at a meeting chaired by CMC president Sunita Mallikarjun.
The three schemes are: setting up of a solid waste management unit at Dymavvanahalli at a cost of Rs. 1.41 crore, construction of storm-water drains, roads and culverts in slum areas in Chitradurga city at a cost of Rs. 5.4 crore , and construction of a vegetable market at Sante Maidan at a cost of Rs. 5.94 crore.
As soon as the meeting began, Manjunath, a member, took serious objection to the absence of several members. When an official of the CMC began presenting the agenda of the meeting, Mallikarjun, a member, said that the projects had been chosen by the Deputy Commissioner without consulting any member of the CMC.
“The Deputy Commissioner has approved the proposals presented by members who are close to him. This is gross discrimination. The schemes should be equally divided among all the wards,” he said.
Municipal Commissioner Vijay Kumar said that the schemes had been selected by a committee constituted by the World Bank, which is financing the entire project. The CMC had submitted a revised list to the committee, including some old schemes, he said.
When Mr. Mallikarjun alleged that no schemes were proposed in his ward, Ms. Mallikarjun and Mr. Kumar said that they would soon be visiting his ward to select a scheme and send it for approval.
However, all the members present at the meeting demanded that local ward members be consulted by the committee before sending any scheme for approval.
A CMC official said that the Government had released Rs. 30 crore for the implementation of the KMRP. This grant would be spent in three phases.
The first phase worth Rs. 16 crore had been approved and the schemes were in various stages of completion. The municipal council had submitted the third phase of the project to the committee for approval. Under this scheme, the municipal council proposes to install water meters in all houses, he said.
