A decade ago, a locality near National Highway 48 at Kulai did not have an identity. Now, residents of the locality are proud that they are living in Gokul Nagar.
The Gokul Nagar Residents Association, formed on December 11, 1999, has made the difference as it has brought liveliness to the locality.
It is perhaps the first locality in the jurisdiction of the Mangalore City Corporation to have its own security alarm (siren) system to check burglary and thefts and ensure the safety of residents.
“Now we all live like a single family,” said Rafiq Kukkadi, a member of the governing council of the association, which is a registered body having its own bylaws.
The 15-member governing council also has seven subcommittees for the overall maintenance and development of Gokul Nagar.
As a first step, the association took up issues related to road, drains, and water and power supply in the localitysaid its president Suresh Shetty. It was senior citizen M.J. Salian and late U. Ratnakar Rao who took the lead in forming the association, he recalled.
Gokul Nagar has about 120 houses with 500 people, said Narayana Pai, another member of the council.
Mr. Shetty said that sirens had been installed in six houses located at different places in the locality. The sirens are sounded whenever there is a security threat in the area. The association has an emergency fund. It is used for extending assistance to any family in which the bread winner dies. In addition, children in such families will be helped to complete their studies.
The association provides scholarships to students from Gokul Nagar who excel in SSLC, and final examinations of pre-university, degree and other professional courses, said Chandra Suresh, secretary of the council.
The association has a telephone directory of the residents of Gokul Nagar for internal circulation. Each house has been given a gate number for easy identification. A directory of telephone numbers of public and private utility services is maintained by the association to help residents get their problems addressed.
Social programmes like ‘shramdan' are conducted, whenever needed.
