Activists of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) staged a demonstration in front of the Mangalore City Corporation office at Lalbagh here on Monday protesting against “total failure of the civic body in administration”.
Addressing protesters, president of the Dakshina Kannada unit of the party, K. Prathap Simha Nayak, alleged that the corporation has failed to fill potholes on many roads within the city.
He alleged that street lights on many interior roads were not functioning. As a result many residents, especially women, were finding it difficult to move around during night.
The president alleged that the health department at the corporation has failed to take up fogging to control mosquitoes resulting in increased cases of malaria and dengue.
K. Monappa Bhandary, MLC, said that even seven months after the local body elections, the city did not have an elected council. He alleged that some Congress leaders have conspired with the Janata Dal (Secular) to file a writ petition in Karnataka High Court against the reservation roster for Mayoral posts. Though the government had reserved the post of Mayor of the city corporation to a general category woman candidate some Congress leaders were preventing a woman from becoming the Mayor. The Congress has no faith in democracy, he alleged.
Mr. Bhandary accused some Congress leaders of misusing the Constitution.
In a memorandum submitted to the administrator of the corporation, Mr. Nayak alleged that development work in many wards have come to a standstill.
He claimed that many wards in the city were facing shortage of drinking water despite water bodies across the district being full to the brim.
The memorandum also accused the Congress of failing to give a people-friendly administration. The former MLC K. Balakrishna Bhat also spoke.