Mangaluru : The Bharatiya Janata Party in the Mangaluru City Corporation Council has threatened that it will not allow the monthly meetings of thenless the renovation work of the Town Hall is resumed.

Addressing presspersons here on Tuesday, Sudhir Shetty Kannur, Leader of the Opposition in the council, said that it was eight months since the hall was closed for renovation.

The former Mayor Mahabala Marla had promised that the renovated hall would be ready by December 26, 2014 to observe the golden jubilee of the hall. But due to a lack of co-ordination between the Congress councillors and MLAs and Ministers of the Congress in the district, the work has come to a standstill.

The BJP councillors, who stalled a meeting of the council over the same issue last month, will continue their protest in the council in the coming monthly meetings and will not allow the meetings to take place, he said.

Ganesh Karnik, MLC, said that closure of the town hall affected artistes who were not able to conduct programmes elsewhere. As chances of the hall getting ready within a year are remote, the corporation should make alternative arrangements to conduct programmes.

It could be a temporary hall-cum-stage within the town hall or the Kadri Park, he said.

He alleged that the “irresponsibility” of District in-charge Minister B. Ramanath Rai was the reason for the current situation. The Minister was not conducting the review meetings on the development works of the corporation, he alleged.

The MLC alleged that there was no co-ordination between Mr. Rai, Mangaluru City South MLA J.R. Lobo, Mangaluru City North MLA B.A. Mohiuddin Bava and the Deputy Commissioner of Dakshina Kannada on re-starting the renovation work of the town hall.

Mr. Shetty said that though the Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) at Jeppinamogaru was ready, the corporation has not allowed people to connect sewer lines of their houses to the main sewage lines connected to the STP.

The Congress has failed to manage the corporation effectively, he alleged.