Mangaluru: Mangaluru is now  queuing up to become a smart city, but is there a plan in place? The only visible attribute to the word ‘development’ in Mangaluru, is the replacement of large spreads of trees with multi-storied apartments and unplanned expansion  of roads. This B-tier city is rapidly growing but remains improperly planned as it has evolved haphazardly over a period of time.

 The Mangaluru city we know  is dingy and congested. Costliest cars hit the roads every passing day but there is craving for a proper parking lot, sadly it only comes at the cost of the lung space of the city, which is again duly ignored.

In October 2014, the Mangalore City Corporation, under the guidance of Ashok Kumar D.K., chairman, standing committee for town planning and improvement approved a  proposal to spend about Rs. 13.69 crore for widening 19 traffic junctions across the city.

During the meeting he said, “After widening the Mallikatta Junction, the road from the junction to Kadri Manjunatha temple will be upgraded as a concrete road. While doing so, all overhead electrical lines on the stretch will be laid underground. Probably this would become the city’s first road without overhead electric lines, he added.

MLA J.R Lobo, along with the Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC) mayor Jacintha Vijay Alfred and MCC Commissioner Hephsiba Rani Korlapati, inspected the area on March 20, 2015. The MLA said the concretization of the Vas Bakery – Mallikatta stretch would begin in a month.

However, the residents of the stretch did not want this improvement at the cost the environment. They said it was not necessary as it was not a trunk road or a main road and trees are essential cover in residential area. The residents of Mallikatta along with some environmentalists have stood up to be counted. They have protested, given memos to the powers that be and insisted that their public Representative listen and act on their greviances. After listening to their pleas, Lobo instructed the engineers not to harm any trees and suggested to the engineers to maintain a provision for the flow of water on either side of the road, through an under ground drainage system and also make a provision for optic fibre and electric cables.

While Lobo was successful in pacifying the agitated residents during the inspection,  while speaking to Newskarnataka earlier he said, “People are hypocrites, if there are personal construction works in their compounds or if they have to construct houses, don’t they cut trees?”, he questioned. But if the corporation is trying to develop the city people stand up in protest, but how many plants do they themselves plant? he asked. I am also an environmentalist. I also love the environment and my city, but  I  work towards the welfare to the city”, he averred.

Lobo said, “I have told the concerned authorities that no trees will be cut for parking purpose or for the construction of footpaths. But they will be cut only if they come in the vehicle movement areas; it is for the betterment of the city and the traffic congestion”, he stressed.

The historically significant port city is crying for a farsighted approach in city planning with restoration of lung spaces (Parks), decongestion of traffic, widened roads with proper kerbs and footpaths, multi level parking lots among a host of basic civic amenities.

Currently, as per the plan two trees on the stretch are to be axed. The residents of Vas Bakery – Mallikatta stretch have submitted a memorandum to the concerned authorities as well as the forest department pleading not to cut any of the trees. However things will be clear only after the concretizaton starts.