The Hindu 01.11.2013
Three Udupi towns get Rs. 85 cr. more for drainage, water projects
Urban Development Minister Vinay Kumar Sorake said on
Thursday that an additional grant of Rs. 85 crore has been provided for
improvement of underground drainage and water supply in the three towns
of Udupi district under the Karnataka Integrated Urban Water Management
Programme (KIUWMP).
He was chairing a review meeting at the Udupi City Municipal Council (CMC) here.
Mr.
Sorake said that of the Rs. 85 crore, Rs. 50 crore would be spent on
improving the underground drainage system of Udupi, Kundapur and
Karkala, while the remaining amount of Rs. 35 crore would be spent on
improving water supply in these three towns.
Councillors’ cooperation
The
plans for urban development in the State had been formulated keeping in
view the needs of the next three decades under the Vision 2040
programme.
Priority had been given for the integrated development of Udupi city.
He
sought the cooperation of all councillors of Udupi CMC for the
development of the city. “Councillors should not think only about the
development of their wards, but the entire city,” he said.
Housing scheme
The
Minister said that officials should give importance to housing scheme.
They should reach 100 per cent target in the implementation of the
Vajpayee Vasati Yojana. “If the officers failed to take this task
seriously, they will be held responsible for it,” he said.
Mr. Sorake said that priority should be given to maintenance of cleanliness in Udupi as it was a major pilgrim centre.
He
would shortly visit the city along with the officials to have a
first-hand understanding of the problems. He would also visit the solid
waste management plant to study issues connected to garbage disposal.
When
the municipal councillors drew Mr. Sorake’s attention to various
developmental projects and facilities provided to Scheduled Castes and
Scheduled Tribes, he told them to discuss the issues in the CMC meetings
and send proposals to him.
Mr. Sorake said that he
would hold a review meeting once in three months. Officials should
direct builders constructing big buildings to provide proper basic
facilities to their workers in the city, he said.
Paryaya festival
When
Pramod Madhwaraj, MLA, sought Rs. 10 crore for improving facilities in
Udupi for the Paryaya festival scheduled on January 18, 2014, Mr. Sorake
said that he would discuss this issue with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.
When
Mr. Madhwaraj drew Mr. Sorake attention on widening of roads in Parkala
and Malpe, the Minister directed the CMC Commissioner Srikanth Rao to
personally review these projects.
P. Yuvaraj, president of CMC, Amrita Krishnamurthy, Vice President, and M.T. Reju, Deputy Commissioner, were present.