'Govt to form a commissionerate for 10 city corporations including Mangaluru'

Udupi, Mar 16: The government will set up a commissionerate for hassle-free administration of the 10 city corporations in Karnataka including Mangaluru, Minister for Urban Development Vinay Kumar Sorake said.

In addition, the Minister said all urban development authorities, such as Mangaluru Urban Development Authority and Mysuru Urban Development Authority, would be brought under a commissioner. This step was also to speed up the administration.

Addressing media persons, he said the government had taken the decision based on the recommendations made by a panel headed by retired IAS officer Jyothirlingam.

Presently, all the files of urban local bodies are being sent to the Directorate of Municipal Administration for approval, in a way burdening them with work. In order to ease the workload, the government will set up a commissionerate, he said.

The minister said the government had decided to increase the salary of civic workers from Rs 12,000 to Rs 13,000 on the lines of the Haryana government. There are around 8,000 permanent civic workers and as many contract workers in the State.

He said the government had decided to abolish the contract system phase-wise. The deputy commissioners have been directed to recruit D' group workers and the government has already issued a notification to fill around 1,300 vacant posts under the A, B and C groups. Sorake said grants worth around Rs 2,000 crore released under various schemes, including Nagarothana, since 2010-11, were not utilised due to some technical problems.

So, the government has directed the deputy commissioners to utilise the funds for other works such as skills training programme, distribution of scholarships, he said.

He said he would request the chief minister to hike the honorarium for corporators, councillors and members of town panchayats and town municipal councils.