Udupi Zilla Panchayat president Katapady Shankar Poojary said on Thursday that the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) should take steps to prevent flooding during rains in the district where widening work of National Highway No. 17 was going on.
Mr. Poojary told presspersons here that the widening works of the NH 17 had been going on in several places between Hejmady and Kundapur in the district. The ground had been dug up blocking the natural flow of rainwater.
Mr. Poojary said removing silt from 138 tanks in the district would be taken up at a cost of Rs. 25 crore. An amount of Rs. 5 crore each would be spent for removing silt and developing tanks in all the five Assembly constituencies of the district. About Rs. 15 lakh had been set aside to deal with drinking water scarcity in the district.He said the zilla panchayat proposed to build small dams across the rivulets under the Multi Village Scheme to augment drinking water supply. This would also help recharge groundwater. A request had been made to the State government to provide funds for solar lighting in the houses in the naxalite-affected areas in Karkala and Kundapur taluks. As the houses in dense forests were located away from one another, it was difficult to draw electricity lines. “Solar lamps would prove to be a boon in such areas,” he said.
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The District Planning Committee would be formed and monthly review meetings would be held to give a fillip to development works. Model gram sabhas would be held before actual gram sabhas in gram panchayats. This would help in proper implementation of programmes by gram sabhas. “The gram sabhas would be encouraged to focus on issues concerning women and children,” he said.