Leader of the Opposition in the Mangaluru City Corporation Council Abdul Rauf on Friday said that many works being taken up under the Smart City projects in the city were flawed thereby leading to waste of crores of rupees of public money.
Mr. Rauf told reporters here that the concrete road constructed under the Smart City project on Car Street has witnessed cracks within a month of its construction. In other areas of the city, cracks on newly built concrete roads have been filled with cement, he said. He added that rules were flouted in awarding contracts for projects.
At the same time, several road concreting works taken up in haste two months ago have come to a standstill, Mr. Rauf said. Because of stoppage of works at Hampanakatte, patients visiting the district Government Wenlock Hospital were put to severe discomfort, he said.
Stating that the city and district administration have no proper plan in place, Mr. Rauf noted that ₹ 1.5 crore spent to offer an alternative market place for traders displaced from the Central Market at the Football Ground has gone waste. The High Court of Karnataka recently ruled that the ground should not be used for any other purpose other than playing games, he noted.
Mr. Rauf demanded accountability on the part of the city and district administrations to plan and execute projects properly.
Former Mayors Shashidhar Hegde and K. Bhaskar and others were present.
