K. Krishnaraja Hegde, president, Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee (APMC), Mangalore, said here on Monday that the committee had decided to develop 20 rural roads in Mangalore taluk under “Holadinda holakke rasthe” scheme at an estimated cost of Rs. 30 lakh.
Addressing presspersons Mr. Hegde, whose 20 month term as the president of the committee would end on January 15, 2013, said the committee had invited bids for developing the roads. The road construction work would be over by May, 2013, he said.
Mr. Hegde said that the committee owned 1.10 acre land on the Nellikai Road in the city. It had decided to lease out the land to any private party for constructing a building there under BOT (build operate and transfer) scheme for 30 years. The committee expected annual revenue of Rs. 20 lakh through rent after the completion of the building. A bid has been invited for the construction. He said according to the terms laid down the builder would have to spare 5,000 sq. ft. in the building for agriculture activities which the committee would decide. In addition the builder would have to reserve 1,000 sq. ft. to house an office of the committee.
Mr. Hegde said that the committee had taken up development schemes worth Rs. 61.50 lakh on the premises of the committee yard at Baikampady in the current financial year.
He said that earlier the committee had filed criminal cases against 117 traders in Bunder area in the city for violating the provisions of the APMC Act. Since the State government a year ago notified the Bunder area as the sub-yard of the APMC, Mangalore steps had been taken for withdrawing the cases against them. .
Mr. Hegde said that the APMC had taken back sites of 136 traders for whom the sites had been allotted in the APMC yard at Baikampady. It was because they had failed to construct buildings on the sites within the deadline. It had forfeited Rs. 69 lakh deposited by them.
In all, of the 330 sites in the yard 123 sites had been allotted on which the traders have built buildings. The remaining were vacant.
He said the APMC had made arrangements for the procurement of paddy from farmers in Mangalore taluk at Moodbidri under the market intervention scheme of the government. As the market price for paddy was higher than the minimum support price fixed by the government nobody was coming forward to sell paddy, he said.
Mr. Hegde said the election to the posts of president and vice-president of the committee would be held on January 11. The tahsildar of Mangalore will conduct the election.
