Renaming of Upper Bendoor to Collectors Gate/Balmatta Road as ‘SCS Road’ Opposed during Council Meeting by Opposition leader in MCC Council Corporator Naveen D’Souza
Mangaluru: In a so-called ‘SMART CITY’ -Mangaluru, the Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC) has been ignoring Dilapidated Roads with Potholes, and instead of repairing such roads has been renaming the roads in the past, and now is planning to rename the road stretch from Bendoorwell (near to Horticulture/St Theresa School) to Balmatta/Collector’s Gate Circle in the name of the Founder of a Private Hospital located next to Bhima Jewellers.
Instead of fixing the bad roads first, our MCC officials are busy resurfacing inner lanes with brand-new interlock bricks. And in the meantime, are also renaming Circles and roads, trying to make quick bucks. But when it comes to fixing the bad roads they are slow and careless. As long as cheap quality tar is being used and layered too thinly, we will continue to have these problems every year. It’s an obvious pattern and I wonder why nobody is looking into this, or better yet, our city officials should visit other metropolitan cities in India or other countries and see how they are coping with this matter. Without any delay, MCC should undertake a major exercise to refurbish City’s potholes
A proposal to name the road from the Collector’s Gate to Upprt Bendoor after the founder of SCS Hospital, proposed by MLA D Vedavyasa Kamath, was referred to the standing committee on town planning. The agenda also includes an objection made by the leader of the opposition in council Naveen D’Souza, who wants to retain the old names of places. He said the road stretch from St Agnes College to St Theresa School should be known as Bendoor Road and the stretch from St Teresa School to Bendoorwell Junction as Lower Bendoor Road.
Opposition leader in MCC Council Corporator Naveen D’Souza Opposing the Renaming of the Road
Seems like the Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC) is in a tearing hurry to name or rename roads and junctions in the city. After adopting several resolutions regarding the naming of roads and junctions in the city, the MCC has plans to rename Upper Bendoor Road after the founder of a private hospital. In fact, several resolutions adopted by the city corporation to rename roads and places are at different stages of implementation. Some of the recent resolutions of the MCC council with regard to names are Veer Savarkar Circle, Justice KS Hegde Road, Koppalakadu Ganesh A Bangera Road, Sri Sri Bhikshu Lakshmanananda Swamiji Road, and NS Kille Circle.
Opposition leader in MCC Council Corporator Naveen D’Souza alleged that the BJP administration is in a hurry to rename roads with a political agenda. “The council governed by the BJP has a hidden political agenda in the renaming of roads and circles,” he said. Naveen D’souza also raised his objection to this renaming proposal in today’s (28 July) MCC Council meeting The process of renaming Surathkal Junction after Veer Savarkar has already been cleared by the council and the proposal was sent to the government for approval. A council meeting of the MCC held in October last year, had witnessed commotion when an agenda naming a junction in Surathkal after Veer Savarkar was being ratified.
The Congress corporators in the opposition had opposed the proposal mooted by the BJP administration. “With the new government in the state, the proposal may face political hurdles,” former mayor and BJP corporator Premanand Shetty has said. “We have already ratified the proposal to name a circle in Surathkal as Veer Savarkar Circle. However, the same has to be approved by the Congress government now. There are many proposals with regard to the naming of circles and roads that are pending before the government. We have plans to name the road from Upper Bendoor to Collector’s Gate as SCS Road”.
“Meanwhile, an agenda of the MCC council to name the road from Collector’s Gate to Ambedkar Circle as Attur Sadananda Shetty Road, the Chairman of Sri Devi Education Trust/Sri Devi Educational Institutions and a promoter of sports events like kabaddi, basketball, shuttle, badminton, karate and powerlifting. Last year in October, The MCC had also resolved at a council meeting to refer the agenda of renaming the Jeppu Fish Market junction after freedom fighter NS Kille, to the town planning standing committee for a report”, added Shetty.
It should be noted that while the erstwhile Lady Hill Circle in the city was renamed Brahma Shri Narayana Guru Circle last year, the road between Ambedkar Circle to Catholic Club via Light House Hill was named after banker Mulki Sunder Ram Shetty.
