‘Nagarapalike’ Gone ‘Narakapalike’! Congress Protests against Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC) Negligence in handling Pourakarmikas Strike, Garbage Collection and Poor Administration
Mangaluru: With the Pourakarmikas strike reaching the eighth day, the public facing lots of inconveniences and hardships with no garbage collection, Mangaluru City stinking with uncleared piles of garbage, and other issues. Congress Mangaluru City Block, North Block and Mangaluru south block Congress Committee staged a protest in front of the Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC) building on Tuesday, 21 March 2023.
Addressing the gathering, former MLC Ivan D’Souza said, “It looks like ‘ Mangaluru Nagarapalike’ has turned into ‘Narakapalike’, and it’s a shame that a City which was adjudged as one of the cleanest cities in India has turned into a dump yard, with piles of garbage spreading health hazards and bad stink all over the City. Just wondering whether both MLAs, Mayor and BJP leaders are awake to take care of the garbage crisis and the hardship faced by the pourakarmikas. Seems like none of the elected leaders in MCC and other authorities cares about the present situation in the City. If you look around the City, garbage is seen at every nook and corner, and the City stinks”.
” With piles of garbage left untouched, has resulted in health hazards, and breeding of mosquitoes which could spread Dengue and malaria. MCC is keeping on extending the contract of Antony Waste Management but never bothered to check how the company functions. MP Nalin Kumar Kateel, MLA Vedavyas Kamath and Dr Bharath Shetty are busy campaigning for the forthcoming elections and ignoring the public who elected them to power. When Congress was in power, we brought crores of rupees for the Smart City project. But now the smart city money is spent on unnecessary projects, keeping in mind the 40% commission of the BJP tactics. After the BJP came to power, the city corporation got completely corrupted. The basic facilities are not being provided for the citizens” added Ivan D’souza.
D’souza further said, ” In his five years of tenure MLA Vedavyas Kamath has done nothing good for the people. It is sad to note that pourakarmikas who are working hard are not getting the desired salary. They are still protesting, and I request the police officials to file a suo moto case on the MLAs, mayor and MP Nalin Kumar Kateel. I have also instructed the protesting sanitation workers to file a PIL, for making them face all the hardship. Look at the fire that has been erupting quite a few times, and no precaution has been taken whatsoever by our 2 MLAs, Mayor and MP. These peoples’ representatives should be ashamed of themselves for all the troubles and hardship that the residents are facing these days”.
Also speaking on the occasion, KPCC spokesperson A C Vinayaraj said, “The City faced the same problem when BJP was in power in 2013, and people fed up with their governance voted Congress into power, and we did great. Look at the taxes being raised by BJP putting everyone in hardship. The 40% commission by the BJP has put the entire state filled with corrupt BJP leaders. The waste that has been piling up in the City is a shame for the City, and nothing has been done since 8 days after Pourakarmikas went on strike. Only a few trucks are seen on the road to collect the waste when they have many trucks. The concerned BJP leaders and MCC officials should solve this issue faced by the sanitation workers. If the garbage is not collected within the next two days, we will handle it differently, putting BJP leaders to shame”.
” The strike has been going on for several days, resulting in garbage pileups across Mangaluru. Government work has come to standstill and it appeared to be in an ICU. Besides the garbage issue, corruption has made the administrative machinery rot. During the Congress government, we solved the issue of pourakarmikas at one level through direct recruitment. The present government could have addressed the issue by regularising their services on a seniority basis; however, the government was yet to act. The issue should have been addressed on a priority basis in the interest of public health and sanitation” added AC Vinayaraj.
Opposition Congress leader in MCC Council Naveen D’Souza said, “What is a funny thing to note that the MCC and BJP leaders have planned a Street Food festival, and by the way who will collect the huge waste left behind after the fest? MLA Vedavyas Kamath and Dr Bharath Shetty are troubling the civic workers. People are suffering from health problems. By increasing the taxes, they have made the people suffer and now the city is suffering from the bad stink. They are not having an exact count of how many vehicles and employees are there in Anthony waste management”.
A large number of Congress leaders, including Congress corporators, joined in the protest. When the protestors tried to enter the main door of the MCC building they were stopped by the police, to prevent chaos.
At last Congress got up from deep sleep..Only protesting is not enough. Instead so some social service also..Send your volunteers to collect the garbage , Mangalore people will vote you, if you all take initiative to clean the garbage.