ZP members demand compensation for damaged houses

The district administration will consider taking legal action if Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserves Limited (ISPRL) fails to respond to the compensation demand for 150 houses which were damaged due to blasting at Padur, Zilla Panchayat CEO Shivanand Kapashi said.

Raising the issue at the Zilla Panchayat general body meeting, member Shilpa Suvarna said the company has not provided the compensation to 150 houses which were damaged due to the blastings to lay the pipeline despite repeated requests.

He said the deputy commissioner has written to the company on August 21 and the reply is awaited.

The delay in the installation of wooden planks for the vented dams to store water was also discussed in the meeting.

Member Uday Kotian threatened to stage a protest if the authorities fail to set wooden planks to store water.

Owing to the negligent attitude of officials, farmers fail to get water to cultivate during the peak season, he charged.

He also demanded information about the vented dams built in the district.

The members demanded a solution for the shortage of sand in the district as construction activities have come to a standstill.

Reacting to it, Kapashi said the chief minister during his recent visit to the district has promised to look into the legal issues affecting the extraction of sand in the district by taking up a high level meeting in the state’s capital.

An official of Mines and Geology Department said that there is scope for the desilting at the instream reservoirs. But the district task force committee should formulate the guidelines, he said.

Members Babu Shetty and Marali Prathap Hegde objected for the storing of boulders at the Maravanthe coast by Coastal Marine Construction and Engineering Limited.

They alleged that royalty is not collected. The officer concerned said that company has been asked to clarify the issue from where the boulders are transported.

Member Batawade Suresh expressed dissatisfaction for the 84-metre length jetty constructed at Alavegadde in Shiroor as against the proposed 91 metres. The members joined Suresh demanding the details on the entrusted works taken up by the Port and Fisheries Department. Any department is only authorised to entrust the work up to Rs 5 lakh and above should be given away through the tendering process.

The Zilla Panchayat CEO told the Zilla Panchayat Agriculture Standing Committee and the PWD executive engineer to jointly conduct an enquiry in this regard.

Member Jyothi M alleged that the schools which provide food to the students under Akshara Dasoha have the food ingredient packets stored which are completely spoiled. She said during her inspection she came across many spoiled milk powder packets.

MLC Prathapchandra Shetty charged that the Block Resource Committee and school heads are not made responsible. The other members complained that the rice used for the lunch is of very low quality.

Member Geethanjali Suvarna objected for the transfer of funds to Bommarabettu Gram Panchayat under Grama Vikas Yojana which was allotted earlier to Kote Gram Panchayat.

Member Reshma Uday Kumar Shetty alleged that the Navayug Construction Company is collecting toll for the vehicles which ply over the connective Gram Panchayat road and demanded that a resolution should be passed objecting it.