Mangalore, May 1: Mangalore needs a huge infrastructure development boost in order to become the second best city of Karnataka, said J R Lobo, Congress candidate for Mangalore (South) constituency.
Addressing a gathering of Chartered Accountants, engineers and doctors who had gathered to pledge their support for him in the upcoming Assembly elections in Mangalore on Wednesday, Mr. Lobo said that Mangalore must take a leaf out of Cochin's book and boost infrastructure boost to be the second best city of Karnataka.
“About 20 years ago, there wasn't much difference between Cochin and Mangalore. But today Cochin has advanced by about 40 years and Mangalore is still limping. Mangalore has the potential to be the second best city of Karnataka. We have an international airport, railway service, a sophisticated port and national highways in place as well. Mangalore has not got adequate attention from the government and has hence lagged behind”, Mr. Lobo said.
The Congress candidate lambasted the BJP administration, both at the Mangalore City Corporation level as well as the state government, for applying brakes on Mangalore's development.
“Mangalore was a peaceful city earlier. But in the last five years or so, repeated incidents of violence, moral policing and attacks have made Mangalore unpopular at national and international level. When there is no congenial atmosphere, there is no tourism and no investment. Lack of stable law and order situation is directly connected with the economy of the city. The BJP government is directly responsible for denting the image of Mangalore. The vented dam project should have been completed by now but it remains incomplete. Concretisation of roads was carried out in an unscientific manner. The service lines were not shifted and as a result you have water lines bursting under the roads today”, he said.
Mr. Lobo claimed that projects such as the 3D planetarium at Pilikula, 'Ranga Mandira' and setting up of the Coastal Development Authority were conceptualized by him as a bureaucrat. “The BJP administration did not even get the concept of CDA right and treated it like some small PWD office. Neither Nagaraj Shetty nor any other chairmen of that body have been able to do anything substantial with it. They did nothing and only roamed in government vehicles and received government perks”, Mr. Lobo alleged.
Mr. Lobo said that in order to develop Mangalore's economy in the true sense, each and every section of the society will have to be paid attention to.
“We need to provide financial assistance to the Billavas who engage in toddy trapping. Fishing needs to be developed. Our harbours need more protection and better infrastructure and marketing support to fishermen is required. Like Madgaon, we need to set up fish markets which are places of tourist attraction themselves”, Mr. Lobo said.
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