Deputy Commissioner M.T. Reju said on Wednesday that mere construction of roads and bridges could not be considered as development. He was speaking at the inaugural function of a workshop on ‘Preparation of Human Development Report of Udupi district 2012-13’ organized by the District Administration here. Justice K.S. Hegde Institute of Management has been chosen as the lead agency for preparation of the human development report.
Mr. Reju said that for all the talk of Udupi being in the forefront of development, the district faced problems such as drinking water, garbage disposal, alcoholism and issues related to migrant workers.
Though the district got 4,000 mm of rains every year, nearly 16 out of the 146 gram panchayats faced drinking water problem last year. Five Gram Panchayats were facing drinking water problem now and water was being supplied there through tankers. The problem was likely to worsen in April and needed to be addressed.
The district had lesser land available for constructing houses. Hence, more houses were being built in lesser spaces. This was leading to more generation of garbage from smaller places. Though people in villages were ready to donate land for religious purposes, they were not willing to do so for setting up waste management plants.
A large number of migrant workers were coming from parts of North Karnataka and other states to the district to work at construction sites. But the colonies in which they lived lacked proper sanitation. Construction of proper toilets needed to be taken up in these colonies.
Though the district had government schools, people were more attracted to private schools. It was necessary for government schools to provide transport and other facilities to the students as was done in private schools. Emphasis should be laid on providing quality education in both government and private schools.
Problem of alcoholism could be found in backward communities such as Koragas, Malekudiyas and Kudubis. It was essential to curb alcoholism in these three communities. “The fruits of development should reach everyone including those living on the margins of society,” Mr. Reju said.
Vijayshankar Shetty, Chief Planning Officer welcomed the gathering. S.A. Prabhakar Sharma, CEO of Zilla Panchayat, presided over the function. N.S. Shetty, Project Coordinator, was present.
