Roads in Mangaluru North set to get new look

Roads in the Mangaluru North Assembly constituency will soon get a new look, according to B A Mohiuddin Bava, the local MLA.

As much as Rs 26 crore will be spent on upgrading a road length of 20.75 km in the fourth phase of ‘Namma Grama Namma Raste’ scheme. The Public Works Department will spend Rs 15 crore to develop 23.02 km of roads. Not only that, Rs 76 lakh will be spent from the chief minister’s rural development project and an additional Rs 62 lakh under the PWD’s non-planned scheme to improve roads. Rajya Sabha member Oscar Fernandes has agreed to release Rs 1 crore from the Member of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS), he said at a media conference here on Wednesday. The road work will start in a month and the tendering will be completed before that, he said in response to query.

Urban, rural mix

Pointing out that his constituency is a mix of urban and rural areas, Bava said 60% of the area fell in the city corporation limits and the remaining under the zilla panchayat. The work on concretising the road from Kaikamba to the Mangalore International Airport is in final stage, while the widening of road from Bajpe police station to Kaikamba has begun, he added.

18 lakes

Bava said that since Mangaluru and Bantwal taluks were declared drought-hit, 18 lakes had been identified for rejuvenation under the ‘Kere Sanjeevni’ scheme.

Besides, check dams will be built for storing sufficient water under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme.

Bava also announced that funds had been released for development of 32 mosques. Rs 1.1 crore has been allocated from the Endowment Department for development of religious places in Mangaluru North.

Protest today

On Thursday, the Congress party will hold a protest demonstration at Gurupura against the Central government’s “failure” to contain inflation, especially the increase in prices of LPG cylinders and fuel, Bava said.