Daijiworld Media Network - Puttur (SP)

Puttur, Apr 4: BJP Lok Sabha candidate from Mangalore constituency Nalin Kumar Kateel said, he would strive to develop the twin-districts on the footsteps of the erstwhile sculptors of the development of the region, the late Srinivas Mallya and T A Pai. He was speaking to reporters here on Friday April 3.

Setting up of environmental-friendly industries, development of infrastrcture including roads, development of Mangalore airport and New Mangalore Port, starting of full-fledged passport office in Mangalore etc., will be pursued on priority, he explained. Kateel added that the BJP-led state government has sanctioned Rs 450 crore for the developmental activities in the district including Rs 100 crore to Mangalore City Corporation within a short span, due to the efforts put in by the previous MP D V Sadanand Gowda.

He expressed himself against the allotment of 1,800 acres of additional land for the extended Special Economic Zone in Mangalore.

In his address, district BJP vice president A Rukmaya Poojary said, that his party has completed two rounds of campaigning in all the booths in the constituency and that the party has been receiving all-round support everywhere. Replying to a question about the likely admission of Vinaykumar Sorake into the party, he said that the district committee does not have any information about this proposal and that no one would be admitted into the party without consulting local workers.

Nalinkumar also addressed representatives of commerce and industries at a meeting convened at Hotel Srinivas in Mangalore, where he reminded that the country had registered spectacular economic progress under the Prime Ministership o Atal Bihari Vajpayee. He said, the country is on the verge of bankrupcy because of the faulty policies of the UPA government.

BJP MLA Yogish Bhat, MLC Capt Ganesh Karnik, ex-minister Nagaraj Shetty, district president Monappa Bhandary and Ratnakar Nayak were present at the meeting.