Electric vehicle charging stations to be increased to 100 in Dakshina Kannada: V Sunil Kumar

Already 17 charging stations have been set up in DK and Udupi districts, the minister said

District-in-Charge Minister V Sunil Kumar said that there is a proposal to set up 79 more Electric Vehicle Charging Stations (EVCS) in Dakshina Kannada.

Authorities are considering increasing the number of EVCS in Dakshina Kannada to 100 and to 50 in the Udupi district. Already 17 charging stations have been set up in DK and Udupi districts, he said while delivering his Independence Day address after unfurling tricolour to mark India's 76th Independence Day celebrations organised by the district administration at Nehru Maidan in Mangaluru.

To meet the increase in demand for electricity, the Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation (KPTCL) will set up a 400 kv sub-station in Mangaluru at a cost of Rs 300 crore. This will help in meeting the demand for an additional 250 megawatt in electricity supply in the next five to eight years. At present, there is a demand for 750 mega watt electricity in DK and Udupi. The new substation will help in supplying quality and uninterrupted power to the consumers, he said.

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Stating that 15 lakes have been developed under Amrutha Sarovara Yojane in Dakshina Kannada, the Minister said that a total of 75 lakes will be developed under the scheme. A total of 700 works are being implemented under the Jal Jeevan Mission in three phases in the district. The work, at a cost of Rs 518, crore is already under way.

Further, he said that the Narayana Guru Residential School will be set up at Poonjalkatte in Bantwal taluk at a cost of Rs 25 crore for the educational needs of children from backward classes. As announced in the state budget 2022-23, steps will be taken to set up yhe Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Sauharda hostel in the district for the benefit of students from Scheduled Tribes (STs), backward classes, and minority communities.

Further, to make the district attractive and to promote beach and religious tourism, the tourism department will take up work on basic amenities at a cost of Rs 23.6 crore. Tannirbavi beach is being developed in Mangaluru under the Blue Flag certification programme. To promote Yakshagana, an international Yakshagana meet will be organised in undivided Dakshina Kannada and a sum of Rs 2 crore has been earmarked for the purpose. Kambala will also be promoted in the district, he added.

Kumar also went on to address recent rainfall in the district, which left 158 houses completely damaged. A detailed project report has been prepared and plans have been drawn up to restore the roads damaged by recent rainfall. An action plan, estimated to cost Rs 110 crore, has been prepared and sent to the government for approval.

Funds have been released for the development of eight government schools that have completed 100 years in the district. Rs 125 lakh has been released for starting smart classes in 45 schools along with setting up an e-library. The work on 120 vented dams will be taken up under Pashchima Vahini Yojane at a cost of Rs 119.20 crore.

The minister said that the government has solved the row over deemed forests in Dakshina Kannada and 34,850.45 hectares of land has been dropped from the deemed forest category.