The Hindu 29.07.2009
Corporation to spend Rs. 25 cr. on footpaths, medians, drains
Staff Correspondent
| SFC has sanctioned funds for these projects |
Plans afoot to concrete a few more roads in Mangalore
Wards to be given Rs. 8 lakh each to handle crises
MANGALORE: The State Finance Commission (SFC) recently sanctioned Rs. 25 crore to Mangalore City Corporation for development activities, according to Mayor M. Shankar Bhat.
A major portion of this fund would be utilised for laying footpaths, constructing stormwater drains, and improving medians on the newly laid roads.
The concreting of a few more roads would also be taken up with this fund, he said.
Mr. Bhat said that the corporation would reserve Rs. 3 crore for concreting the Surathkal-MRPL Road, Rs. 2 crore each for concreting the Kuloor-Kavoor Road and the Kuntikana-Kavoor Road, and to build a market at Surathkal. Footpaths had to be laid and stormwater drains constructed on a few recently concreted roads such as Lalbagh-Bejai Road, Hampankatta Circle-A.B. Shetty Circle Road, Hamlinton Circle-Rao and Rao Circle Road, and Old Clock Tower-Rao and Rao Circle Road, he said.
Fund utilisation
The concreting of Bejai-Kuntikana Road, Lower Bendoorwell Circle-Horticulture Junction Road, Bejai-Karangalpady Road, and A.B. Shetty Circle-Hamilton Circle Road was under way. The SFC’s fund would be utilised to lay footpaths and construct stormwater drains on these roads after concreting them. The concreting of these four roads would be over by September, he said. The Mayor said that the State Government had released Rs. 5 crore to the corporation recently for calamity relief works. This fund would be utilised to repair those tarred roads which had been damaged owing to heavy rains. Each of the 60 wards in the corporation would be provided with Rs. 8 lakh to meet the expenses arising out of certain immediate tasks in their respective areas, he said.
Mr. Bhat said that when he met the Chief Minister recently, the latter had promised to grant Rs. 50 crore more to the corporation for road related works, if the civic body had utilised the entire Rs. 100-crore special grant sanctioned to it for 2008-09 and 2009-10.
