Mangalore to Get Road Named After Dhoni?
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore (PS/SP)
Mangalore, Apr 6: World Cup fever seems to have caught Mangalore City Corporation (MCC) too. The Indian cricket team has been winning accolades and gathering enough booty ever since it won the title of World Champions, and now, it's Mangalore's turn.
Soon, Mangaloreans may find themselves driving through an M S Dhoni road. A similar step has been taken in the capital city of Bangalore too, and if the trend contiues, we may perhaps get to see an M S Dhoni road in every Indian city!
Mayor Praveen Anchan has assured that he would consider the possibility of naming a main road in the city after Indian team captain, though the man from Ranchi has nothing to do with Mangalore personally.
At the general meeting of the MCC held here on Tuesday April 5, the mayor Pravin Kumar said that the request, made by corporator Ashok D K, would be looked into.
The meeting, however, saw much ruckus created by the opposition over the recent 15 percent hike in property taxes in the city. Former mayor, Shashidhar Hegde, corporators, Navin D’Souza, Harinath, Ashok Kumar, etc, vehemently opposed additional burden of house tax, arguing that this will result in double whammy for the citizens, who will also have to pay more because of enhancement of registration value of properties from May onwards. Members of the opposition wore black badges to express their discontentment, and accused the MCC of burdening the middle class. They also alleged that the decision was taken without consultation or discussion with them.
Nevertheless, chairman of the standing committee Sharath did manage to present the annual budget, wherein he informed Rs 183.91 crore was the revenue the MCC expects to collect from various sources like water tax, trade licence, construction sector, markets, penalty etc during 2011-12. The expenditure is expected to be Rs 183.89 crore, thus showing a surplus budget. During 2011-12, a special package grant of Rs 50 crore is expected to be received from the government.
Mariamma Thomas protested against late presentation of the budget, and non-mention about Rs 33 crore pending to be paid to contractors. Then the corporators belonging to the ruling BJP, who alone remained at the meeting, unanimously passed the budget.
He said that a new 'Nisarga Mitra' office has been opened at the entrance of the municipal office to facilitate easy and quicker service to the citizens seeking information on various matters.
A new vented dam at Thumbay will be constructed at the cost of Rs 7 crore.
In addition, the MCC plans to spend Rs 12.20 crore on development works and Rs 2.75 crore on the welfare of SC/ST communities. A sum of Rs 95 lac has been earmarked to get rid of poverty in the city.
The members paid their tributes to people killed in the recent earthquake and tsunami in Japan, and also observed a minute's silence in memory of former mayor Ramesh Kotian who passed away recently.
Deputy mayor, Geeta N Nayak, and city corporation commissioner, Dr Vijayaprakash, were present.