Mangalore: The Dakshina Kannada district always needs a strong and dynamic District Commissioner who is also a Magistrate, so he has to be erudite and quick in administration.
Chennappa Gowda from Chickmagalur where he was DC last week comes over to DK dt. this week as the new DC, replacing Subodh Yadav who had 6 months reign here and is moving on as Textile Commissioner.
Chennappa Gowda has taken over DC’s charge from Additional DC Prabhakar Sharma on Monday, in the absence of Yadav on Tuesday.
Gowda belongs to 1982 IAS batch and was Municipal Commissioner in Bhadravathi, the steel city. Later, he served in Bangalore and Tumkur as District Commissioner later Chief Executive Officer in newly formed Ramanagara district and CEO of Mysore Dt. ZP. He was also in Mangalore for sometime as Commissioner for Food and Civil Supplies.
He was popular to common people of 4 districts where he served as DC, including UK dt. He is reputed for splendid Dasara programmes held in Mysore where he was DC. In the Kanara (UK) district, he stopped the illegal sand mining and transportation of sand from Karwar to Goa by effective control measures. He helped the tribals and aboriginal communities to make use of irrigation and solar power systems especially created for them. In Chickmagalur, M.G Road and Ratnagiri roads were developed by him with keen interest and hard work besides making a 30km region around the city free of plastic menace, by banning plastics use. At Bababudangiri in Chickmagalur district he erected tollgates for collection of toll revenues from cars and lorries/buses. He laboured to reduce naxal menace in Sringeri and then stamp it out.
Speaking to Mega Media News soon after taking charge as DK DC at the new office in Mangalore on Monday, Chennappa IAS dwelt on issues like widening of narrow roads in MCC limits, easing traffic problems on busy roads, maintaining cleanliness and health of citizens in this historic city, improving tourism to attract travelers and so on, but on a regular long term basis for years to come.
He also wanted the amenities provided to citizens in cities to reach common people in nearer rural areas, for which he wished to strive. He assured that he would keep a watchful eye over builders expanding the coastal city without transgression and deceit in deals. He will protect Govt. lands from alien encroachment, he added.
On Tuesday, DC Chennappa Gowda is officially installed as DK Chief, when the outgoing DC Subodh Yadav, is given a farewell, to move on to Bangalore as new Textile Commissioner.