Seven more ambulances, which can be summoned by dialling 108, were added to the existing fleet in Dakshina Kannada on Saturday.
Speaking to presspersons after flagging off the ambulances, district in-charge Minister J. Krishna Palemar said that the district now had 19 ‘108' ambulances. Most of them would be stationed in semi-urban and rural areas. The district administration had identified 19 places for stationing them. With this, the entire requirement of the district had been met, he said.
Deputy Commissioner V. Ponnuraj said that the 19 ambulances would be stationed in places so that they could reach a patient within 20 minutes of the call.
To a question, Mr. Ponnuraj said that the Union Government had approved a proposal of the Mangalore City Corporation to contribute its share for the 24-hour drinking water supply scheme in the city.
He said that a survey was under way to assess the area that would be submerged with the construction of the vented dam at Thumbe. He said the people living in areas around the dam need not be apprehensive about the matter. The vents of the dam would make it possible to control the flow of water. In case agricultural land was submerged, the owners would be paid compensation.
