Mangaluru: The CPI(M) held a massive rally and protest against the Mangalore City Corporation for failing to address and solve the problems of the people in the city, here on September 14.
The rally orginated from five areas with people from all 60 wards in the city and culminated in front of the MCC where CPI(M) leaders spoke against the “blind, deaf and dumb City corporation”.
Addressing the protesters CITU leader Sunil Kumar Bajal said that before the elections Congress corporators promised that tax would not be increased, but right on the next day after coming to power, they increased it. Concrete roads have been built but there are no footpaths for the pedestrians to walk on. 15 people have died in a year in accidents on the city roads, the majority of these victims being school children and women. Mangaluru is also marred by drainage problems to the extent that the city has started to stink.
He further said that in 30 years, the Congress has not done anything crucially beneficial for the people. “The Congress and the BJP don’t care about the citizens. For one year, there was no Mayor for the city because of the hurdles created by the Congress corporators; for another one year, there was no commissioner. Due to all these problems created by our corporators, no development is happening. Hard working people of the working class – farmers, labourers, rickshaw drivers – bring pride to Mangaluru, and our corporators spoil its name. People should give up hopes that either the Congress or the BJP will do anything for their betterment.”
Speaking on the Yettinahole project, he said, “We are people of one state, one country. We cannot say we won’t give water without proper reasons. Only after we properly analyse the project, should we come to a conclusion that benefits us all.”
In his inaugural address, Vasanth Achary said that every citizen of the country has the right to protest and express his/her views against the government if it is not doing anything for its people or making policies against them, irrespective of position or political allegiances. Before elections, some of the Congress corporators of our city did not have proper money to even travel by bus. They travelled in cycles, but after coming to power, they roam in big cars and have forgotten their promises to the people, he added.
“We have come across instances when members of a party speak against each other,” he said, indicating the recent talks by MP Nalin Kumar Kateel and senior Congress leader Janardhan Poojary against their respective party members, Sadananda Gowda and Verrappa Moily, on the Yettinahole river diversion project. “We have two MLAs and one MLC, and even they fight amongst each other. The MLC talks against one of the MLAs, and he replies by talking against him.
The leaders opted for concrete roads thinking that they could make lakhs of money as commission and started making concrete roads in the city without following proper scientific procedures and laying drains and footpaths. If the Congress corporators cannot solve the problems in the city, in the future they will also be thrown out of the MCC by the people like the BJP, he envisaged.
Krishnappa Konchadi, Muneer Katipalla, Vasudev Uchil, Bharati Ullal, DK Imtiaz and others were present at the protest.
