Mangaluru, Feb 27: Mangaluru City South MLA D Vedavyasa Kamath is supporting a group of environmentalists whose petition to the Forest Department has led to the stalling of work on the urban poor housing project at Padavu in Shaktinagar, according to his predecessor J R Lobo.
Talking to reporters here on Wednesday, the Congress leader and former MLA said he worked tirelessly to get the approval of the State and the Union governments for building 930 flats for the urban poor at a cost of Rs. 69.5 crore in the nine-acre government land in 2017.
“Having completed 75% of the work and after calling for tenders, environment groups raised objection that made the department keep on hold its permission to clear trees in the nine-acre deemed forest area.
The environmentalists raised objections at the instance of Mr. Kamath,” he said. Mr. Lobo said the project has been stalled since July 2018 and Mr. Kamath, who heads the taluk-level Ashraya Samiti, has not made any effort so far to get the project moving.
Mr. Lobo alleged that Mr. Kamath falsely blamed him during a review meeting, chaired by Nalin Kumar Kateel, MP, recently.
Denying the charges, Mr. Kamath told media persons that he was making efforts to set right the faults in implementing the project.
He said the law clearly stated that the government land, where there are more than 50 trees, becomes a deemed forest.
“Despite knowing this fact, Mr. Lobo, who has served in various positions as a government servant, went ahead with the project in the deemed forest area without getting necessary clearance.”
When the issue about the project came up for discussion during the meeting of Mr. Kateel, Mr. Kamath said he pointed the legal issue. “I did not blame Mr. Lobo but pulled up officials for the folly.”
The MLA said based on his letter, Mangaluru City Corporation Commissioner Mohammed Nazeer has written to the Deputy Commissioner Sasikanth Senthil S. for grant of land in the name of MCC that will facilitate construction of flats.
The kidnapped schoolboy was rescued by the police and reunited with his parents. Son of a gift shop owner from Basavanagudi area in Bengaluru, Chirag has reportedly told police that decided to make some quick money to spend on cricket betting and gambling after learning kidnap tricks from the ‘Crime Patrol’. According to police, Chirag reached a private school around 3pm on Tuesday on a Bounce rental bike and zeroed in on a fourth standard student who was walking out of school. He told the boy he was his father's friend and that he required help to search for a relative who had gone missing. The boy believed Chirag and rode pillion on the bike. Chirag then engaged the boy in conversation and learnt about his father's business and got his mobile phone number. He then made a call to the boy's father, demanded Rs 5 lakh and warned him against approaching cops. However, the boy's father alerted Cottonpet police and special teams were formed to crack the case. While Cottonpet inspector Venkatesh TC's squad verified CCTV footage in and around the school, Chamarajpet inspector BG Kumaraswamy's team started tracking the suspect's mobile phone movements. An hour later, the suspect's location was traced to a hotel on the Lavelle Road-St Mark's Road stretch. Police rushed there, rescued the boy and arrested Chirag.
Comments
Dear Lobo, dont tell we will not give flat to muslims.
because majority christian is worried if there is any muslim family present in flat.
in one hand you show good and other hand you backstab.
hindus are far more better then marons like your community.
we fought freedom together without your people. and we are still bothers
Jai hind
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