Mangaluru: Activists on Monday questioned the Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC) for seeking suggestions from people before preparing the draft annual budget and then setting them aside later.

At the public consultative meeting seeking proposals before drafting the budget for 2017-18, G.K. Bhat, an activist, said that in the consultative meeting last year he had suggested building bus shelters. But shelters have not come up in many places where roads have been widened and concreted. “In Mangaluru, even autorickshaws have shelters but not people waiting for buses,” he said.

Mr. Bhat said in the State Bank of India bus terminus, there is only one bus shelter. Hence, people are forced to wait outside, rain or shine.

He suggested that the Nehru Maidan side of the road between A.B. Shetty Circle and Town Hall be developed as an end point for city buses by building bus shelters there. He also suggested that the corporation identify more roadside paid parking spots so that unemployed youngsters get jobs as parking fee collectors.

Meanwhile, G. Hanumantha Kamath, president of the Nagarika Hitarakshana Samiti, said though he had suggested auctioning old, unused vehicles at the last year’s meeting, they still remain parked at Mannagudda.

Mr. Kamath also alleged that the corporation, in the last financial year, had diverted the funds reserved for repair of markets for the purpose of repairing Town Hall.

In his reply, Mohammed Nazir, Commissioner of the civic body, said unused vehicles would be lifted from Mannagudda shortly as a bidder to dispose them of has been selected and he has deposited the necessary amount with MCC.

He also said tenders for building bus shelters have been invited and they will be opened within the next fortnight. He did not specify in how many areas bus shelters would come up.

Mayor Harinath did not attend the meeting though the Commissioner had announced earlier in the day that he would be joining the discussions midway.