The Hindu

Mangalore, Feb 8: Mangalore City Corporation has decided to “acquire” 45 cents of private land at Hampankatta in the heart of the city for the Mangalore Urban Development Authority (MUDA) to construct a multi-storeyed car parking-cum-commercial complex, according to Mayor M Shankar Bhat.

This private land is adjacent to 1.55-acre vacant land of the city corporation, where the main bus-stand for both private and government buses was located about 15 years ago, before it was shifted to Nehru Maidan and Bejai.Mr. Bhat said that there were now shops in the 45-cent private land on one side of the two roads, i.e. K.S. Rao Road and Light House Hill Road, which join the Hampankatta Circle. After acquiring this land, approximately a two-acre plot would be available for the multi-storeyed car parking facility, he said.

Earlier, during negotiations, the owners of other buildings on the two roads, except those owning a jewellery shop on K.S. Rao Road, had agreed to surrender their land. The civic body had promised to provide a carpet area space in the ground floor of the proposed complex to them, in exchange for the land they were to surrender, he said. But, the Mayor alleged, the jewellery shop-owners were preventing owners of other buildings from surrendering their land. They were dillydallying with their decision to surrender the land for the last one-and-a-half years.

Mr. Bhat told The Hindu that the civic body did not want to drag the matter any longer.An agenda to acquire the land would be tabled in the next council meeting. “I have decided to give ‘approval in advance’ for acquiring 45 cents of private land,” he said.

However, Ranganath C Kini, councillor of the court ward, said that doors for negotiations were not closed. The jewellery shop-owners had put some conditions, which were not accepted by the civic body. Owners of other buildings were ready to surrender their land, he said.

P.G. Ramesh, Commissioner, Malngalore Urban Development Authority (MUDA), said that the authority had invited bids for constructing the complex. Last date to submit bids is February 25, he said.