Dakshina Kannada Zilla Panchayat requires 320 acres of land for building houses for the poor under various government housing schemes, said K. Shivarame Gowda, in-charge Chief Executive Officer of the panchayat.
At the district vigilance and monitoring committee meeting on Monday, he said the Revenue Department was yet to hand over land to the panchayat. Nalin Kumar Kateel, Member of Parliament, presided over the meeting.
Prabhulinga Kavalikatti, Assistant Commissioner, Mangalore sub-division, said the Revenue Department had reserved 185 acres of land under the jurisdiction of 58 gram panchayats in the district for the same.
The process of identifying land of the remaining 145 gram panchayats was under progress.
Mr. Gowda, Deputy Secretary of the panchayat, said the panchayat required 320 acres of land in addition to 185 acres of land reserved by the Revenue Department. He requested the revenue officials to hasten the process of handing over the land to the panchayat.
Joint Director of Agriculture A. Padmaiah Naik said there was shortage in supply of chemical fertilizer for the past four years. Krishna Naik, a member of the committee, pointed out that the department had been supplying paddy seeds of Bhadra variety against the demand from farmers for Jaya variety.
To this, Mr. Naik said the demand for the latter was more during rabi season and not during kharif. He said 32,428 hectares of land was under paddy cultivation in Dakshina Kannada district in the last kharif. The target for this kharif had been fixed at 36,000 hectares of land.
Mr. Kateel pointed out that some roads asphalted last summer by the Public Works Department and Mangalore division of the National Highways had been damaged in recent rains which indicated the quality of work.
He instructed officials of Mangalore Electricity Supply Company to make themselves available for 24 hours during rainy season as there would be frequent power cuts. The company should announce its contact numbers through media, he said.
President of the panchayat K. T. Shailaja Bhat was present.
