Amid dissent by some members, the general body meeting of the Hubballi-Dharwad Municipal Corporation (HDMC) on Wednesday approved a proposal to take over Nrupatunga Betta, Indira Glass House, swimming pool and other such facilities for maintenance from the district administration.
Placing the proposal before the House, corporation Commissioner Siddalingaiah Hiremath said that the district-level committee, which was maintaining these civic facilities, expressed inability to maintain them and asked the corporation to take them over at a meeting last month.
Opposing this proposal, Congress member Ganesh Tagargunti said that the district administration had collected user fee for the last eight years since these facilities were created.
However, the Nirmiti Kendra, which carried out the civil works, came under the scanner for substandard works.
Now, most of these facilities have been damaged and it was not in the interest of the corporation to take them over at this stage.
The corporation could consider the proposal subject to the condition that the district administration refunded user fee it had collected in the last eight years, he said.
Endorsing his views, member Deepak Chinchore said that if the corporation took over the damaged property, its name will get tarnished. The district administration was planning to hand over property that had almost been abandoned, he said.
Janata Dal (S) member Altaf Kittur and others too supported him. However, member Rajanna Koravi and others suggested that the corporation take over the property.
Member Panduraj Patil said that the members levelling allegations against the district administration, the Nirmiti Kendra or any other agency at this stage was not correct.
For, when the matter was placed before the House, they had given approval without deliberating over it thoroughly, he said.
Finally, Mayor D.K. Chavan announced that the proposal has been approved by the House.
The meeting set aside an issue related to providing matching grants for the construction of classrooms at Byridevarakoppa Government High School for the next general body meeting as officials concerned sought to seek legal opinion in the matter.
