Mangaluru : D. Vedavyas Kamath, Mangaluru City South MLA, on Tuesday said the long pending construction of the multi-storied housing project in Shaktinagar will start this February as the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has issued a no-objection certificate to utilise deemed forestland for housing purposes.

During the ‘Meet the Press’ programme organised by the Dakshina Kannada Working Journalists’ Association here, Mr. Kamath said his continuous follow-up for four years ensured the NoC was granted in October 2022 for the project that involves construction of 930 flats for EWS people on 9 acre of deemed forestland.

With cost escalation since four years, he has urged the government to sanction ₹100 crore for the project as against the earlier ₹60 crore along with another Rs 10 crore for levelling the land and other infrastructure.

The project was initiated in September 2016 under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana wherein houses were to be built on 11 acres of land in Rajiv Nagar, Padavu village of Shakti Nagar. The then MLA J.R. Lobo distributed title deeds to beneficiaries just before the 2018 Assembly polls.

Mr. Kamath said the MoEFCC had initially rejected permission for the project despite the State government allocating 20 acres of compensatory land and payment of Rs  75 lakh to the Forest Department.

Development works

He said development works amounting to Rs 4,700 crore, including Rs 1,000 crore works taken up by Mangaluru Smart City Limited (MSCL), have been taken up in his constituency that will give a new look to the city by 2025.

MSCL has taken up works in eight wards, Court, Bunder, Central Market, Port, Cantonment, Mangaladevi, Hoige Bazar and Bolar. COVID-19 pandemic slowed down the work that may get completed by 2025.

Mr. Kamath said Rs 792 crore was being spent for plugging leakage of drinking water and getting 50 MLD water from Harekala vented dam to meet city water requirements.

New Central Market

New market complex is coming up in Central Market on a public private partnership mode at a cost of Rs 145 crore. Similarly, new market complexes are coming up under PPP mode in Kadri, Kankanady and Surathkal. The Karnataka Urban Infrastructure Development and Finance Corporation has taken up improvement of drainage and water supply works at a cost of Rs 380 crore.

Having initiated Mangaluru City Corporation in having online system of filing Self Assessment Tax and issuance of trade licences, Mr. Kamath said steps have been taken to set right errors in issuance of e-Khata. The MCC will shortly have online system for water bill payment and issuance of building licenses.