Opposition remarks on CM creates chaos in Udupi CMC

The ruling party members in the City Municipal Council strongly objected and indulged in a heated exchange of words when the opposition member Yashpal Suvarna termed Chief Minister Siddaramaiah as anti-Hindu at the general body meeting.

Raising the issue, Suvarna alleged that the chief minister is not releasing funds for Hindu religious programmes but is a 'great' donor for other religions. "The Udupi City Municipality has not taken up the road repair and other necessary works in spite of the approaching Nadahabba Paryaya. It is a grand festival and the CMC is lackadaisical. The government had assured Rs three crore last year, however, only Rs one and half crore were released. For the current Paryaya, the chief minister has not assured any amount so far, which shows his intolerance towards Hindus and Hindu religious festivals," Suvarna said.

He also demanded the details of the fund released for the Paryaya and the amount spent.

'No truth in allegation'

CMC president Meenakshi Madhav Bannanje said that the Paryaya works have been taken up and the road patch works have also begun. "There is no truth in the allegations against the chief minister. The government in 2010 too had not released the amount assured for the Paryaya completely," she pointed out.

The president also said that Siddaramaiah had released Rs 10 crore for the Municipality to take up pro-people programmes which mostly involved Hindus.

Post such hue and cry, the president started reading out the day's agenda. The president's behaviour was again objected by the opposition members.

Udupi Utsav

Another issue that was raised on the occasion was on the ongoing Udupi Utsav and the amount collected from various programmes taken up.

Yashpal Suvarna said that the house should present the details of Rs 16 lakh profits of the previous year's Utsav. "The entry fee is Rs 50 when compared to Rs 30 in Karavali Utsav in Mangaluru. The areas in and around have become totally unhygienic with garbage all over," he complained.

The president said that Udupi Utsav was in no way related to the City Municipality administration. The Municipality was relieved of the responsibility of the event during the tenure the former Deputy Commissioner Dr Vishal, who restricted the CMC's power only for the NOC, she reminded.

"The profits that were collected were utilised for a different purpose. The Utsav takes place under the supervision of the deputy commissioner. There are three more departments involved, like tourism, PWD and fire. Royal Garden, where the Utsav is held, is a private land," she added.

The Opposition members demanded that the ruling party give in writing to the media that CMC is not authorised to hold Udupi Utsav, so that the public is kept informed.

To the query of improper management of LED street lights, the CMC engineer said there are 43 complaints that need to be attended to. "The present company's maintenance is worst. Hence, the complaints would be addressed by another company on payment by the CMC," said the engineer.

Suvarna also urged the house to discuss the issues of water scarcity and other civic problems as the poll code of conduct would be imposed in the days to come.