Speaking to presspersons here on Monday, he said the proposed 31-km ring road — Mangala Corniche, integrating a unique waterfront development is a dream project for Mangalore, has been pending for the last several years. “Though the consultants had prepared a design, which was approved by the authorities, Palemar, who had purchased hundred acres land in Adyar-Kannur, has modified the plan to facilitate the road to pass through his purchased land.”
“With the change in the design, the Mangala Corniche will lose its very purpose, its concept and objective. The change in the original plan will also affect the green belt areas in Mangalore,” he said and added that Mangala Corniche should remain as a ring road and should not be implemented as ‘L’ shape road.
Sea erosion
Stating that the authorities concerned should not delay in implementing the ADB project to check sea erosion, Shetty said if the work is not implemented in 2011, then the funds will lapse. The sea shore in Mangalore has been seriously eroding over decades posing threat to life, houses and properties.Many houses and properties have been lost during monsoon in the past and the situation still continues, said Shetty. He said a global tender was invited to undertake the work on two multipurpose geotextile reefs and four in shore berms and ASR Ltd was the only company, which participated in the bid and the tender was unanimously awarded to them.
However, there is a delay in commencement of the work due to conflict of issue raised by the Port department.
Shetty said that two of the consultants of ASR Ltd were part of the Project Preparatory Technical Assistant (PPTA) design team of ANZDEC Ltd, New Zealand, who were the design consultants for the PPTA contract. However, the PPTA contract was signed between ADB and ANZDEC Ltd, New Zealand and the ASR consultants were not involved in the bid preparation.
“On single tender issue, as long as the quoted rates are within the department estimated cost, there should not be any valid or logical grounds to reject the tender,” Vijaykumar Shetty added.
To a query, he said: “We were shocked to see Palemar’s name missing in the final report on mining by the Lokayukta. I will write a letter to Justice Hegde asking why Palemar’s name was dropped from the final report.”