Muneer Katipalla smells large-scale irregularities in MCC’s UGD upgradation project

coastaldigest.com news network
February 14, 2018

Mangaluru, Feb 14: Muneer Katipalla, who is all set to contest upcoming assembly polls from Mangaluru City North constituency as a CPI-M candidate, has made a serious allegation of large-scale irregularities in awarding contract for Sewage Pumping Main Repair and Replacement Project of Mangaluru City Corporation.

In a letter to the Chief Minister and the Chief Secretary, Mr Katipalla, who is also Karnataka state unit president of DYFI, claimed that two companies have secured tender for the project with tacit understanding wherein the estimated cost has shot up from Rs. 60 crore to Rs. 94 crore. The government should scrap the tender and order high-level probe into pilferage of public money, he said.

He noted that the MCC through Karnataka Urban Infrastructure Development Corporation has undertaken the project of upgrading the UGD infrastructure of Mangaluru. Repair and replacement of the sewage pumping main is one of the key components of the project. On the face of it, large-scale financial irregularities are visible while finalising tenders for sewage pumping repair and replacement.

Mr. Katipalla said KUIDFC had estimated Rs. 60 crore for the project initially. However, it added Rs. 8 crore for manhole repairs, Rs. 5 crore road repair etc., though all these were part of original Rs. 60 crore estimate.

The total project cost escalated to Rs. 94 crore during the tender process, which is in excess of 60% of the original estimate. Two companies which participated in the tender obtained the contract jointly even as the empowered committee approved all the changes without any objection.

Suspecting corruption, Mr. Katipalla said such irregularities cannot happen without the involvement of KUIDFC officials and knowledge of people's representatives. Mangaluru South MLA J.R. Lobo, who was earlier MCC Commissioner and is in the know of the process as well as Mangaluru North MLA B.A. Mohiuddin Bava, with their silence appear to be backing the irregularities, Mr. Katipalla alleged.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
June 22,2020

Bengaluru, Jun 22: Areas having three to four COVID-19 cases being termed as clusters will be totally sealed and maximum testing will be conducted there, moreover only critical cases will be shifted to COVID hospitals in Bengaluru, said Karnataka Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai.

Speaking to media persons, Karnataka Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai said, "It has been decided that clusters (areas having 3-4 #COVID19 cases) will be totally sealed and maximum testing will be done there. Only critical cases will be shifted to Covid hospitals. I demanded that police personnel are tested on priority."

"A lot of issues were discussed about the spike in COVID-19 cases. As far as hospitals are concerned there are two types of patients, asymptomatic and symptomatic, moderate and critical. Moderate and normal cases can be shifted to COVID centres," he added.

Bommai further added that beds in hospitals need to be reserved for corona warriors as well.

"There has to be a coordination between BBPM who brings the patient and the hospital, the moment a positive case is reported to avoid the waiting period. Even in hospitals, some beds have to be reserved for corona warriors. Community transmission is not yet there but we have to be prepared," he added.

Earlier today, Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa had called an emergency meeting of concerned officials and departments to discuss measures to control rising COVID19 cases in Bengaluru.

As the numbers of COVID-19 cases are increasing in Bengaluru at an alarming rate, the Chief Minister opined that this can be contained only if preventive measures were implemented strictly.

He directed the officials to implement lockdown strictly in the clusters, which reported more number of cases, especially KR Market and surrounding areas such as Siddapura, VV Puram, Kalasipalya. It was decided to seal the adjoining streets, where the cases are reported.

He said that stringent action would be taken against those who violate quarantine and FIR would be filed if necessary.

Officers were directed to fix rates for treatment of COVID patients in private hospitals to make coronavirus treatment accessible to all.

Yediyurappa further instructed officials to set up fever clinics in all wards and maintain hygiene and provide other basic amenities to the people who were quarantined in social welfare hostels and other government institutions.

"COVID-19 should be contained without affecting the economic activities in Bengaluru, which resumed recently," he said.

"COVID War Room shall have real-time information on the availability of beds in various COVID hospitals and shall facilitate the infected person to avail treatment without losing any time," added Yediyurappa.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
April 22,2020

Bengaluru, Apr 22: With seven more people tested positive for COVID-19, the total number of cases now stands at 425 as of date in Karnataka, informed state health department on Wednesday.

Out of the total COVID-19 cases, 17 people have died and 129 have been discharged.
These seven new cases came to light in the last 24 hours.

With 1383 more cases and 50 deaths reported in the last 24 hours, India's total number of positive COVID-19 cases stands at 19,984, said the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Wednesday.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
June 5,2020

Udupi, Jun 5: Senior BJP leader and Lok Sabha member Shobha Karandlje accused members of Tablighi Jamaat of spreading Coronavirus, particularly in slums, in Bengaluru.

Speaking to newsmen here Friday night, she said that the members had intentionally spread the virus in Siddique Layout and Padarayanapura. Members had hatched a conspiracy to destroy the country. She would raise the issue with the central government.

She said that New Delhi and Maharashtra were responsible for rising Covid-19 cases in the country. Highlighting the programmes, introduced by Modi-led NDA government for the past six years, she blamed Covid-19 for the collapse of the economy. But for Covid-19 Modi government at the Centre would have been a leader in the world,” she added.

She said 13,541 people, stranded in other States and foreign countries, had returned to Udupi. “We have sufficient beds in the district to tackle the situation. But if more people decide to travel to Udupi, arranging quarantine facilities would be a huge challenge,” she added.

Comments

samy
 - 
Saturday, 6 Jun 2020

Man politics is like a car, in which being stephine has more perks..

Abdullah
 - 
Saturday, 6 Jun 2020

See her how she looks like !

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.