TNN
Mangalore, Oct 28: Less than eight months in office, a faction-ridden ruling party in the House, the unrelenting opposition which d i s a g re e s more than it agrees to decisions or rulings by the council, the election year ahead and most importantly the financial crunch —- too many issues and problems to contend with —- the new Mayor of Mangalore, Vijaya Arun, has her task cut out. But where does she begin and how does she go about it. Will she be able to deliver the goods?
That is the million dollar question, which of course, she has to answer. The plum post is no bed of roses and Vijaya knows that all too well. She is a seasoned campaigner. Still, everything will depend on how she tackles the knotty issues one by one. The shoddy progress of the ADB-aided KUDCEM Project is another baggage which she will be carrying right through her tenure.
Vijaya admits that her tenure, curtailed by a government order and subsequently a court case, would not allow her to even dream of new projects. However, she expresses confidence that she would expedite all the work in hand.
The internal polls by the corporators to select the official party candidate for the two posts of Mayor and Deputy Mayor indicates that all is not well in the ruling Congress, despite her claim that differences of opinion are there in every family. Dissenting voices can already be heard from different camps. But that is not unusual.
The elections next year will weigh at the back of Vijaya’s mind. Any wrong move can prove detrimental to the Congress. The functioning of the Corporation too has deteriorated of late, with officials taking the elected members for a ride.
The rift between the previous Mayor and the then Commissioner over the issue of eviction of illegal petty shops, is a case in point. The corrupt practices in various departments, especially town planning and health, have only increased by the day. The wrongdoings in the past have severely affected the functioning of the Corporation, which once claimed to be ‘Debt Free’. According to official sources, the Corporation’s dues to the contractors for the completed works and to the agencies, such as, Mescom, stands at a whopping Rs 30 crore plus.
Revenue generation has also not increased as it should have, with confusion still prevailing over the issue of property tax collection through the Self Assessment System (SAS). Neither has the Congress-led MCC levied any fresh taxes or cess on any account. It is also pertinent to mention that the city is slowly coming under the grip of ADB’s Rs 306-crore loan for the various infrastructure development projects, repayment of which is likely to begin from 2010.
With such a pathetic financial condition one is left to wonder where the finances —- even for the annual allocation for the Corporators’ Fund (Rs 10 lakh) and Mayor’s Discretionary Fund (Rs 1 crore) —- are going to come from for at least the basic works through the year.
The already tendered works, include concreting of some of the roads at a cost of Rs 4 crore, asphalting and road repairs running to about a crore, storm drains and other works all over the city. Regarding the pending works under the KUDCEM Project, less said the better.
The one-year tenure for a Mayor, has always been felt as too little a time. And with Vijaya having much lesser time, she starts with a distinct disadvantage. However, the people of Mangalore are looking forward to her priority No.1. That is, better roads in days to come. If she does manage that, both she and the party stand to gain by way of reputation.