Mangaluru : The Mangaluru City Corporation council on Wednesday resolved to entrust its works to the Nirmithi Kendra for speedier execution amid protests by the former Mayor Mahabala Marla, during whose tenure a decision was taken to keep out the kendra, and members of the Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party.

The kendra was barred from taking up civil works of the corporation after it backtracked from the renovation work of the Town Hall citing lack of technical expertise. As a result, there was a delay in completing the work.

This decision came to be overruled when Mayor Harinath approved the agenda for construction of a market complex at Kavoor and bus bays in the city. The corporation had kept Rs. 50 lakh for the market complex in the previous financial year and another Rs. 50 lakh this fiscal. Mr. Harinath said that whatever had been set apart was only a token amount to ensure that the project took off.

Mr. Marla demanded that a letter from the Deputy Commissioner, who is also the chairman of the kendra, indicating its willingness to execute the works, be produced in the council. Opposition member Premanand Shetty wanted to know the reasons behind the kendra being roped in again.

Mr. Harinath, however, approved the agenda recording the dissent notes by Mr. Marla and BJP members.

Members cutting across party lines took officials to task for improper handling of sewage discharge in Jeppinamogaru and Surathkal areas.

A member said that sewage had been flowing on roads in Madhavanagar in Surathkal while it was entering the wells in the nearby Idya.

Another member said that a similar problem was being faced by the residents in Bajal.

The members alleged that the substandard quality of underground drainage works executed under Karnataka Urban Development and Coastal Environmental Management Project had been responsible for the malfunctioning of the sewage lines. The corporation, which had taken over the maintenance of the lines, had failed to do the job properly, they alleged.

Mayor Harinath directed the officials not to give fresh connection to the malfunctioning underground drainage lines till the problem was rectified.