Mangaluru, Mar 25: As Mangaluru City Corporation is staking claim to be part of the Smart City scheme of the Union government, a team of panelists paid a visit to the coastal city to obtain details and conduct a study on the basic facilities, resources, population under the limits of MCC.
When asked by Alex Gallafent on their perspective on Smart City, all the councillors failed to come up with a definitive answer. Although a few tried to highlight the issues faced by the city corporation, the language barrier was a hindrance in relating this information to the team.
Shruti Ramaiah said that in the first stage the team of experts was supposed to visit the shortlisted cities and collect the necessary information on basic facilities, requirements, resources, infrastructure and opportunities available with the help of elected representatives. More than the requirement of special grants, suggestions are essential in the beginning, she said.
Councillor Naveen D'Souza said that Mangaluru city had not been developed systematically. There is no huge source of income to the city, and the city corporation had to depend on funds from the state government for development purposes. Instead, funds should be sought from the Centre in order to undertake more developmental projects in view of the progress of the city, he said. Another councillor spoke on the need to boost the tourism sector in the city.
Speaking on the occasion, joint commissioner Pramila M K said that Mangaluru city was better in sanitation and cleanliness compared to other cities. "However, we have only achieved 60-70 percent success in collecting tax, water cess and waste management. A system should be implemented to see that 100 percent collection of taxes. This will also help in the development of the city,” she said.
She also said that the three-package system for solid waste management introduced by MCC was a model scheme in the entire state.
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