Leader of the Opposition Congress in Mangaluru City Corporation Council T. Praveenchandra Alva on Monday, September 2, alleged that the corporation under the BJP rule has gone bankrupt. The BJP should come out with a white paper on the financial status of the civic body, he demanded.
Addressing presspersons Mr. Alva said that Mayor Sudheer Shetty Kannur has not released any area development fund to the councillors. Hence, the councillors are finding it difficult to take up projects in their wards.
Mr. Alva claimed that when Congress was leading the council, it had not hiked the property tax rates. But now under the BJP rule, the rates have been hiked. Now, the BJP has proposed to slash the rates keeping in mind the elections to the council to be held after six months.
The Leader of the Opposition said that hiking the property tax rate, drinking water tariff, solid waste management cess, trade licence fee are the achievements of the BJP during the last over four-and-half year rule in the corporation.
The Jala Siri Project has failed to become a reality. The roads have gone from bad to worse due to the cooking gas pipeline laying project. The traffic issues in the city are increasing daily. New market buildings have not been completed. The completed ones have not been occupied under the BJP rule, he alleged.
The BJP has failed to address the underground drainage project issues, he alleged.
Stoning incident condemned
He said the Congress condemned if anybody, including the nominated members of the council, damaged the public property.
Mr. Alva claimed that the Congress had condemned the incident of stoning a city bus during the Congress protest at Lalbagh on August 19.
He said that since a case has been registered against Kishore Shetty, a nominated member of the Congress in the council, over stoning the city bus, the court will decide whether he is guilty or not.
If he is involved in throwing stones at the bus, it is condemnable, Mr. Alva said.
The BJP is diverting people’s attention by raking up this matter as the saffron party has failed to deliver in its administration, he alleged.
