Setting up of a marine engineering college and constructing an outer ring road in Mangaluru were among the demands made before the BJP’s manifesto drafting advisory committee at its meeting presided over by Union Minister of State for Tourism, Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sripad Naik here on Sunday.
Chartered accountant S.S. Nayak said that 1,500 acres of land at Baikampady is under litigation. This pending issue should be sorted out and the land should be allotted for setting up industries. It will create jobs for locals.
He demanded that Konkan Railway line should be doubled at least between Mangaluru and Goa and the frequency of trains between Mangaluru and Bengaluru should be increased.
Vaman Shenoy said that Mangaluru faced road connectivity issues as ghat roads and highways are in a bad condition for long. Hence the bulk of cargo is not being routed through the New Mangaluru Port and diverted to ports in the neighbouring States.
Demands were made to take measures to promote Mangaluru as an IT hub to promote employment opportunities and to prevent “brain drain”, to promote tourism and to create an ecosystem to attract IT companies.
There was a demand to build ‘Hindu Bhavans’ to enable poor people to hold their functions and for the establishment of the office of the National Investigation Agency.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Naik said that employment to youth is the need of the hour. The demands made by the participants will be conveyed to the party before drafting the manifesto for the coming Assembly election, he said.
