May terminate the vented dam contract if slow paced work continues: CM

Mangalore, May 6: If the slow pace of work at Thumbay vented dam continues, the government will even consider terminating the contract said Chief Minister DV Sadananda Gowda.

Chairing a review meet of the developmental works in the district at the Deputy Commissioner's office in Mangalore on Sunday, the Chief Minister, who has been troubled by the problem of drought in the state, expressed his discontentment at the incomplete work of Thumbe vented dam in the backdrop of Mangalore being hit by water crisis severely this summer.

“Out of 16 vents they have completed works of only 9 vents. I have taken to task the concerned officials” Mr. Gowda said, directing Channappa Gowda, DK Deputy Commissioner and Dr. Harish Kumar, Commissioner of Mangalore City Corporation to hold another inspection on May 31 to check the pace of the work being carried out. “There is no scarcity of funds from the government's side but concerned personnel are not carrying out their duty with sincerity. If the slow pace continues even after May 31, we are open to even terminate the contract”, he said.

The Chief Minister also ordered the officials of the concerned department to submit an appeal to the government if there is need for extra borewells. He also said that a master plan would be formulated in the days to come to find a permanent solution to tackle the water problem during summer, in terms of identifying rivers and how well rain water could be stored for maximum usage. “I will take up the responsibility of raising the ground water level”, the CM declared.

Mr. Gowda also raised the issue of many genuine cases being denied the facilities of social security pensions, ration and government schemes such as Bhagyalaxmi. “In an attempt to eliminate bogus applications, some genuine ones too have been rejected. A verification process must be carried out at every Gram Panchayat and by month end, deserving people must be given BPL and ration cards so that genuine cases are not left out”, he said.

The CM also took up the issue of roads in the district. Abhayachandra Jain, MLA, Moodbidri, requested the Chief Minister to propose to the central authorities to build a two-lane road between Mangalore and Moodbidri. Mr. Gowda agreed to the demand and asked the MLA to file an appeal in writing.

Channappa Gowda, Deputy Commissioner, DK, presented a powerpoint report on the current status of various departmental works in the district. He said that the district stood third in disposing off applications under 'Sakaala', the project initiated by CM himself and assured him that very soon, the district will try to top the list.

In the backdrop of city facing many problems, Ramanath Rai, MLA, asked the Chief Minister to appoint a district-in-charge minister as soon as possible.