DK all set to distribute rice at Re 1 to poor families

Addressing the district review meeting chaired by B Ramanath Rai, district in-charge minister, at the Deputy Commissioner's office in Mangalore on Saturday, Sharana Basappa, Deputy Director, Department of Food and Civil Supplies said that the district has about 1,58,289 BPL beneficiaries and 21,079 Antyodaya beneficiaries who will benefit from the scheme. The district requires 7,000 tonnes of rice for the scheme and arrangements for its procurement and granaries for the storage of the same have already been made, Mr. Basappa informed the district in-charge minister.

Mr. Rai expressed disappointment at the delay in handing over of houses to the poor and pending sanctions under Vajpayee Nagara Vasathi Yojane and Basava Vasathi schemes. While 'kumki' lands have been granted to farmers who already possessed lands, lack of land to be handed over to the landless poor does not make sense, he pointed and directed the officials concerned to pay special attention to construction of houses for poor Koragas in the district.

NHAI taken to task

The official from National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) came under severe criticism from MLAs as well as the ministers for having dropped the earlier flyover plan at Nanthoor junction and preparing a new flyover plan without taking any elected representatives into confidence. J R Lobo, MLA, Mangalore South, requested the minister to direct the Deputy Commissioner to constitute a committee under him to keep track of projects being handled by NHAI and KRDCL. The Bikarnakatte flyover is being constructed at snail's pace, he said, besides pointing out that road to Karkala from there on is too narrow for smooth transit. To this, the NHAI representative disclosed that a proposal of four-laning of Mangalore-Moodbidri bypass road is being prepared by the NHAI.

Crowded centres

Mr. Lobo spoke about the crowded 'Aadhar' card and ration card centres in the district and requested that the number of centres be increased. In response, Deputy Commissioner N Prakash said that he has asked for 20 more machines for Aadhar centres in the district including setting up of exclusive machines for the elderly so that they don't have to wait for long at the centres. The machines are yet to be received however, he said.

Land inundated

On obtaining information from an official concerned about submerging of lands due to water problem caused by the construction of Thumbay vented dam, Mr. Rai directed the Commissioner of Mangalore City Corporation (MCC) to calculate the compensation amount and distribute them among people whose lands have been affected. About 350 acres of land are estimated to have been submerged, an official said.

Mr. Rai also asked the officials in-charge of the social security schemes to not indulge in negligence of any sort in doling out scholarships, pensions to the physically challenged, beneficiaries of 'Sandhya Suraksha' scheme and also victims of natural disasters. Some beneficiaries who would earlier receive these benefits have been denied their due for months together, Mr. Rai said, and advised officials to not hold back in compensating victims of rain/lightning damage and other natural disasters at the earliest.

Abhayachandra Jain, Minister for Fisheries, U T Khader, Health Minister, Nalin Kumar Kateel, MP, Moideen Bawa, MLA, Mangalore (North), S Angara, Sullia MLA, Shakunthala Shetty, Puttur MLA, Monappa Bhandary, MLC, Bharathlal Meena, District in-charge Secretary, Koragappa Naik, President, DK Zilla Panchayat, K N Vijayprakash, CEO, DK Zilla Panchayat, were among those present.