Mangaluru: The District-In-Charge Minister Ramanath Rai hinted today at at press meet that the second phase of Town Hall renovation work estimated to cost Rs. 98 Lakhs would be given to Nirmiti Kendra. The Minister along with Congress Corporators put the blame solely on former Commissioner of the MCC Hephsiba Rani Korlapati for stalling the project.

The minister reacting to questions on Town Hall renovation here at Congress office, said that the BJP which held a demonstration on June 22, 2015, holding the ruling party responsible for the stoppage of the renovation work, has to answer as to why an upright officer in the MCC sat on the file. He took sharp jibe at the former Commissioner saying she failed to expedite works on Town Hall after she assumed charge.

However, the Minister seemed clueless when a press person asked why the Deputy Commissioner A B Ibrahim on October 2014 did not approve the proposal for the Nirmiti Kendra to take up second phase of works and only gave the nod for the Kendra to carry out first phase of works. Rai made efforts to justify and said “All that has happened. Now we have to look ahead.”

He said the former Commissioner of the MCC did not act on time to move the file pending before her office. For a question on why council passed resolution in February saying no works will be given to Nirmiti Kendra hence forth, Rai reiterated that bygones be bygones, everything would be sorted out soon. He did not agree with one of the contentions raised that the DC is responsible for the delay of town hall, as he had declined to take up the second phase of work, being the Chairman of the Nirmiti Kendra.

The Mayor of the MCC Jacinta Alfred confirmed to the press that a meeting had been held on the Town Hall in the DC office and progress had been made. The mayor hoped that the pending works of the Town Hall would be completed within three months.

Rai also questioned the basis of BJP MP Nalin Kumar Kateel being named the no. 1 MP from Karnataka by a local newspaper. He said that none of the major concerns of the District like the completion of the Shiradi Ghat work, an IIT and Central University for the District, and a railway division headquartered at Mangaluru have materialized.

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