Even as the State gears up for another budget on Friday, only one of the announcements made in last year’s budget for the coast by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has been implemented in toto. While a few seem headed towards reality, most others have remained on paper with little or no attention.
There is no word so far, surprisingly, about the announcement made in the first budget (2013-14) of Mr. Siddarmaiah – a grant of Rs. 2 crore for Mangalore University to set up study chair named after social reformer Narayana Guru.
The government also proposed to set up an Advanced Research Centre in Udupi under Mangalore University, under the Rashtriya Uchchatara Shikshana Abhiyan. Forty acres has been allotted for the Rs. 80-crore centre at Belapu village in Udupi district.
K. Byrappa, Vice-Chancellor of Mangalore University, said the university wanted to start work on the Centre in January this year. But the matter got held up due to clarification sought by the Finance Department. “Urban Development Minister Vinay Kumar Sorake is now pursuing the matter in Bengaluru. We are keen on it,” he said.
Projects under way
Only two proposals in Dakshina Kannada seem ready to have funds released — Rs. 1 crore for Dalit reformer Kudmal Rangarao memorial in Mangaluru and Rs. 5 crore for traffic infrastructure programme (M-TRAC) — if the confidence exuded by the officials is an indication. The memorial is proposed to come at the school set by the reformer at Attavar-Babugudde. The Haj Bhavan for Mangalore has made some progress, with land being reserved for it near Kenjar on the outskirts of the city.
The previous budget also proposed to start training and manufacturing centres in naxal-affected areas of Karkala taluk in Udupi district through Karnataka State Coir Development Corporation (KSCDC). The district administration has provided one acre to the KSCDC at Karkala Industrial Estate. Ramananda Nayak, Joint Director of District Industries Centre (DIC), said, “The KSCDC has to construct the building for training and manufacturing centre and provide infrastructure in the form of advanced machinery.”
While there is no concrete proposal and sanction for the grand plans of setting up an oceanarium at Pilikula Nisarga Dharma, authorities have sent a Rs. 15-crore proposal saying the original estimate of Rs. 8 crore was inadequate.
Ports and fisheries
Another proposal for the coast that sought to develop small ports through Public-Private Partnership has got off to a start and the government has identified some private players to develop Karwar (second phase), Belekere, Manki, Haladipur, Tadadi ports.
Though the Fisheries Department has identified three ports – Mangaluru, Malpe and Tadadi – for improving hygiene to the European Union standards at ports to enable them to import food items, no decision has been taken on the funding pattern as the Centre would finance only 40 per cent of the cost instead of the original 90 per cent. The plan is still far from reality.
In Udupi, the State government has proposed to take up construction of outer harbour with break water near Madikala of Uppunda village in Kundapura taluk. Currently, the Fisheries Department is awaiting administrative approval for the Rs. 88.68-crore proposal on the matter submitted to the Director of Fisheries Department in Bengaluru about a month ago.
We are not aware of a proposal for Karnataka-German Multi Skill Development Centre. We have not received any such proposal.
S.G. Hegde
Joint Director, District Industries Centre
Urban Development Minister Vinay Kumar Sorake is pursuing the matter [of the Advanced Research Centre] in Bengaluru. We are keen on it.
K. Byrappa
Vice-Chancellor,
Mangalore University
The Karnataka State Coir Development Corporation has to construct the building for training and manufacturing centre and give machinery.
Ramananda Nayak
Joint Director, District Industries Centre
