State didn’t release any funds for new development projects in last two years, alleges MLA

MLAs in coastal region allege lack of funds for development projects, injustice to rain-affected, and poor governance by Congress.

The State government, led by the Congress, did not release any funds for undertaking new development projects in the coastal belt during the last two years. Hence, the MLAs in the coastal region did not lay foundation stones for new infrastructure projects, Mangaluru City South MLA D. Vedavyasa Kamath alleged here on Thursday.

Addressing the press, the MLA alleged that, except for each MLA’s annual Local Area Development Fund of ₹2 crore, the State government did not release any additional funds during its two-year tenure.

Mr. Kamath alleged that the State government has reduced the compensation amount payable for property damage due to rain-related incidents. Thus, it has done injustice to those who suffered damages, he said.

The government has stated that it can not release the compensation amount as per the guidelines of the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF), the MLA claimed.

Mr. Kamath alleged that the agenda for the meetings of the Mangaluru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) is decided in Bengaluru, not locally. “When decisions are taken in Bengaluru, the relevance of MUDA is under question,” the MLA said.

Mr. Kamath alleged that the government is not bothered about addressing the mobile network problems faced by people residing in the areas surrounding the district jail in the city. The network problems increased after the jail installed a jammer inside the jail. Though people have protested, the government has not taken it seriously to provide relief to the people.

The MLA alleged that the State government wants poor people to remain homeless as it has not implemented Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana–Urban (PMAY-U) 2.0 in the State. Hence, the beneficiaries under PMAY-U have not been identified.