Mangaluru : MP Nalin Kumar Kateel has told officials to be stop indulging in petty politics regarding implementation of Central Government schemes in the district.

The MP expressed disappointment about the ‘irresponsibility’ of the state government officials during a district development, coordination and monitoring committee meeting at Zilla Panchayat Auditorium in Mangaluru on Wednesday.

Under the Central government housing schemes, the land has been given to the respective panchayats, yet the Revenue Department officials have kept the files on title deeds pending, depriving homeless people of the housing facility, said Kateel.

DC office Tahsildar Manikyaraj said the Forest Department is not handing over to the Revenue department the land marked for housing schemes and causing the delay. The MP said many land acquisition work of the state government in the district is pending for years, which has resulted in inordinate delay in other works.

The MP said that he will request for a Lokayukta probe on the utilisation of maximum funds from the Central government’s Amrit project for the improvement of the UGD by the Mangaluru City Corporation. Of Rs 185.5 crore released under the project, Rs 179.52 crore has been reserved for the UGD work. Funds are reserved for incomplete works under the Kudcemp with Asian Development Bank (ADB) funds. How the fresh funds from the Amrit project can be used for such work, he wanted to know.

The Mescom was told to maintain service wires well, to prevent mishaps. The Mescom section officers are not acting up to the situation during mishaps.The Forest Department should cut branches of tress on the roadsides and DHO should keep medicine for snake bites in stock at all the government health centres during monsoon, ordered Kateel.

He told the Bantwal TMC to identify land for the proposed toilet complex under the Swacch Bharat programme. MRPL will carry out the construction at a cost of Rs five crore. It is a five point programme where the complex will be in the model of airport toilet complex. The complex will have facilities of clean drinking water, a bus stand and a soil-testing centre, along with public toilets. Kateel added that the panchayats need to maintain the toilets in their limits.

The Irrigation Department officials said tenders have been cleared for Sarapadi and Narikombu dams. Work is completed at Karopadi and Sangabettu dams but going on at Kinnigoli and Mani. The MP told the officials to fix a date for inauguration soon and also to speed-up lake development works.

Kateel expressed displeasure over non-adherence to protocol during the inauguration of Malavoor dam recently. ZP president Meenakshi Shantigodu and CEO Dr M R Ravi were present.