Five-year term of MCC council ends amid cacophony in last meeting

Five-year term of MCC council ends amid cacophony in last meeting

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangaluru, February 28, 2025: The five-year term of the Mangaluru City Corporation council ended on Thursday, amid the ruling BJP and the Opposition Congress members in the last monthly meeting of the council trading charges against each other over achievements.

Cacophony prevailed in the House for more than two-and-a-half hours with the members of the treasury benches and the Opposition countering each other over the progress made in the last five years.

Unable to control the members during Question Hour, outgoing Mayor Manoj Kumar adjourned the House for about half-an-hour in the forenoon. When the House met again, the unrelenting members continued their tirade against each other. Then the Mayor adjourned the meeting for lunch break.

Though Ivan D’Souza, MLC, rose to speak, he could not do so owing to the continued cacophony. After waiting for sometime, the MLC left the meeting.

When the House resumed proceedings in the afternoon, the Mayor without continuing the Question Hour asked the Whip, Premananda Shetty, to take up matters listed for discussion.

Zero progress

Earlier in the forenoon, the Congress members termed the achievement of the corporation under the BJP rule as “zero.”

Anil Kumar, Leader of the Opposition, alleged that though ₹300 crore have been spent for constructing and maintaining underground drainage network and associated facilities in the past five years, many wet wells and sewage treatment plants (STPs) are still not functioning properly. Hence sewage was flowing in drains and rajakaluves. Though the Opposition members were drawing the attention of the House over the same, the ruling BJP did not do much to improve their maintenance.

Mr. Kumar alleged that the BJP failed to ensure that the ₹795-crore Jala Siri project was completed without any hiccups. Owing to the poor monitoring of the project, it was yet to be completed even after crossing the deadline, he alleged.

He said that water meters purchased under the project are gathering dust without being installed at the consumers’ houses.

T. Praveenchandra Alva of the Congress alleged that the BJP could not give even a single house to the poor during its five-year rule.

Smart city project a failure

The smart city project was a complete failure, Mr. Alva alleged, adding that Mangaluru Smart City Ltd. could not even complete 1 km of the riverfront promenade project.

When there was “triple-engine” government, the BJP increased the water tariff and even increased property tax, alleged another Congress member A. C. Vinayraj.

No fund since two years

Countering the charges, the ruling party members, like whip and former Mayor Premananda Shetty, Shakeela Kava, Sangeetha Nayak, Poornima, said that since the Congress government took over in the State the corporation did not get any fund for development projects. The government is busy only with transfers of officials, they alleged.

They maintained that the BJP gave an effective administration.

Mr. Premananda Shetty alleged that the Congress members came to the House with a pre-plan to disrupt the last meeting. It was a well planned strategy, he alleged.