Dakshina Kannada may not have lost much in the exit of J. Krishna Palemar as Minister for Ports, Environment and Ecology, Inland Water Transport and in-charge of the district.
Some observers told The Hindu that Mr. Palemar in close to four-year tenure contributed very little for building city's infrastructure.
President of Nagarika Hitarakshana Samiti G. Hanumantha Kamath said that Mr. Palemar's exit was not a loss either to the city or to the district. “He did not contribute for any work worth remembering. Only builders' lobby benefited from him,” Mr. Kamath alleged.
Mr. Kamath said he could not take credit for the laying of some “unplanned” concrete roads in the city as the idea to go for concrete roads had been mooted by two bureaucrats who served the district. He said that it was the then Commissioner of Mangalore City Corporation Sameer Shukla who took keen interest for widening the narrow Bhavanthi Street-Car Street-Durga Mahal Road and initiated a preliminary survey for making it a one-way road to decongest traffic on K.S. Rao Road and M.G. Road.
Mr. Kamath said that even after three years of conducting the survey the stretch between Bhavanthi Street and Durga Mahal except the Car Street had not been widened.
He said that proposals of constructing a multi-level car parking facility at Hampankatta, a new market complex at the central market, and a bus stand at Pumpwell had remained in the cold storage. A market complex at Bejai was yet to become a reality.
It was said that though the Transport Minister was keen on introducing KSRTC city bus services in the city, Mr. Palemar did not support the move.
Some official observers said that the former Minister took very little interest in solving many local issues which came in the widening of the national highway between B.C. Road and Surathkal. Even six years after beginning the work, a small shrine near Brahmarakutlu which was coming in the way of widening the highway remained to be shifted due to local opposition.
The former Minister did not bother to ensure that the exit road of the new terminal building of Mangalore Airport was widened, an observer said.
Similarly, there were several issues with regard to railways.
The observers said the former Minister lacked vision for promoting employment generation activities. Promoting any rubber based industry in main rubber growing taluks of Sullia, Puttur and Belthangady would have created employment opportunities.
He ignored the problems of yellow-leaf disease that hit arecanut growers in Sullia taluk. The farmers themselves had to take a lead in pursuing the issue with the Government and finding a solution, they said.
