Ullal to get underground power cabling at Rs 186 crore: U T Khader

Mangaluru: Legislative Assembly Speaker and Mangaluru MLA U T Khader said that a project for underground power cabling in Ullal town has been prepared and the work will be taken up shortly.

Once the work is completed, Ullal town will be free of live overhead electricity cables. The project, estimated to cost Rs 186 crore, has been sanctioned by the State government, he told mediapersons in Mangaluru.

Tenders are being floated for the underground power cabling work, which is being taken up as part of the beautification of Ullal town. “There are several issues pertaining to power connections in Ullal. High-tension lines pass just above houses or terraces, posing serious danger to citizens. In some places, electricity poles have been erected inside compound walls. MESCOM is also not in a position to shift them due to paucity of space. To overcome these issues, we proposed underground power cabling in Ullal town,” he said.

The works will be taken up through KPTCL. In addition to the Rs 186 crore sanctioned for Ullal, Rs 60 crore has been approved for underground cabling works in Mangaluru city.

To improve the quality of electricity supply in Ullal and keeping in mind population growth and development over the next 30 years, it has been decided to upgrade the existing 33 KV station to a 110 KV substation at a cost of Rs 96 crore, he said.

Bridge works

The Speaker said that to ease traffic congestion on National Highway 66 and to promote tourism in the constituency, a parallel bridge to the Nethravathi bridge will be constructed from Kotepura to Bolara at a cost of Rs 252 crore. The proposed bridge, spanning 1.5 km, will be one of the longest in the region, and tenders will be floated shortly.

He recalled that prior to the construction of the Nethravathi bridge, Kotepura was a major centre of business activity, with goods from the port being loaded and unloaded for transport to Kerala. The new bridge will be designed to provide closer views of the Arabian Sea. All necessary permissions for the project have been obtained.

Facilities such as hotels, restaurants and parks will be developed beneath the bridge, he added. There is also a proposal to close the bridge to vehicular traffic between 4 pm and 8 pm on weekends to promote tourism.

Another bridge between Sajipa and Thumbe, estimated to cost Rs 62 crore, has been sanctioned. It will benefit residents of Arkula, Meramajalu and Thumbe. At present, residents of Sajipa have to travel via Melkar and Bantwal to reach Thumbe. The project is currently in the tender stage.

Responding to a query on protests over the poor condition of the road between Mudipu and Bakrabailu, Khader said that works on drains and road repairs worth Rs 3 crore are currently under way. “A few people are raising the issue for the sake of publicity,” he said.

Land sanctioned

Khader said that the State government has sanctioned 50 cents of land to the Mangaluru taluk Kannada Sahitya Parishat for the construction of a Kannada Bhavana. The land, located in Survey No 61/3 at Tiruvail village near Vamanjoor, has been allotted in the name of the Kannada and Culture Department. A full-fledged Kannada Bhavana will be constructed on the site.

Abbakka Bhavana

The foundation stone for Abbakka Bhavana and Beary Bhavana in the Mangaluru constituency will be laid shortly by the Kannada and Culture Minister. A sum of Rs 8 crore has been sanctioned for Abbakka Bhavana and Rs 6 crore for Beary Bhavana, the Speaker said.