The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers came to the street here on Thursday against the government for not posting a regular Commissioner to Mangalore City Corporation (MCC) since five months.
The BJP leaders, including former Mangalore City South MLA N. Yogish Bhat and former MLC K. Monappa Bhandary, held a protest in front of the corporation office at Lalbagh.
Addressing the gathering Mr. Bhandary said that it was two months ago that the Minister for Urban Development Vinay Kumar Sorake promised in a meeting of the corporation that a regular Commissioner would be appointed in a month. The Chief Minister Siddaramaiah during his visit to the city a month ago had also promised the same. But the ruling Congress, both in the State and in the corporation council, has not posted a regular Commissioner. The former MLC questioned whether there was any dearth of IAS or KAS officers in the State. “It is a shame on the part of the government,” he said.
Mr. Bhandary said that the BJP would surround Mr. Sorake and Mr. Siddaramaiah during their next visit to the city. He said that Mangalore City South MLA J.R. Lobo, Mangalore City North MLA Mohiuddin Bava and MLC Ivan D’Souza should resign as they have not been able to get a Commissioner posted to the corporation and there were differences of opinion between them.
Mr. Bhat alleged that solid waste management has suffered in the city as the garbage was not being lifted daily.
In a memorandum submitted to the Chief Minister through the Deputy Commissioner of Dakshina Kannada Leader of the Opposition BJP in the corporation council Premananda Shetty said that without a regular Commissioner, water-bill collection and property tax collection have lagged behind. The corporation was not taking any major policy decision.
He said that the corporation has not taken up constructing drains and footpaths on 18 concrete roads. The development works have come to a standstill, the memorandum alleged. As a growing city, Mangalore required a regular Commissioner to take important decisions.
Former Mayor Ganesh Hosabettu, former president of Karnataka Tulu Sahitya Academy Umanath Kotian and other leaders participated.
