Mangalore : Addressing a Press Meet today (Friday, July 16) in the afternoon at his office premises, B. Nagaraja Shetty, former Minister and Chairman of CDA, stated here that CM Yeddyurappa created the CDA specifically to improve conditions in the 3 coastal districts, by planning and implementing development works on a priority basis. The plans are drawn up with a future vision of 2 to 3 decades, about what is urgently needed in these areas near the sea. Such a plan would be placed before senior citizens and the people after it is drawn up, and with comments from the public it will be sent to the govt in Bangalore, he said.
The 2010-11 budget has an allocation of Rs 200 crores as the initial step to development planning and this will be increased by CM in due course. Some important problems are under study and the viability report based on the plans related to the needs is being prepared by CDA, he added.
The Mangalore circular Road is one of the plans being prepared by N. Yogish Bhat, MLA. This round road will contact 3 highways, namely 17, 13 and 48. it can touch NH 234 also. It is complementary to fisheries and Tourism in the coastal Karnataka. Athrady state highway no.67 will have a four –lane way from Bajpe to Athrady. The fisheries roads in 3 coastal districts will run parallel to NH 17, as concrete roads, he stated.
Plans are on the anvil to create fish markets for women, solar electrification of at least 5 worst villages selected in each of the 3 districts to form a Sowbhagya Sanjevani – large irrigation scheme which will be entrusted to the concerned deptt, at a cost of 5 crore rupees, for which CDA is making a suitable study of its possibilities of diverting the course of rivers like Nethravathi and Falguni into tanks so that water so collected could be used for drinking and agriculture, and to send the additional water to the other coastal districts in the neighborhood. B.N.Shetty said.
He also had plans for Aquamarine Parks, Gulf clubs development, foot bridges and seminars on development. CDA Secretary Prabhakar Rao, Sulochana GK Bhat, Ranganath Hegde, leaders Ramachandra Bhat, Umesh, Nagappa Naik were present.
The coastal Karnataka is about 325 kms. long, of which DK and Udupi districts have a coastline of 175 kms. The CDA had nothing to offer by way of stonewalls to prevent lands erosion in the 3 districts during Monsoon.