HASSAN: The Department of Municipal Administration has identified seven city and town municipalities in the State that have been successful in collecting 60 per cent of outstanding revenue due to them, president of the Hassan Municipal Council G.T. Kumar has said.

He added that the department has sanctioned Rs. 27 crores to take up development works, including underground drainage, construction of roads, and development of parks in the city. Besides this, the department has also agreed to release Rs. 60 lakhs to improve water supply systems, he said.

Participating in a meet the press programme organised by the district unit of the Karnataka Union of Working Journalists here on Thursday, Mr. Kumar said the work will be taken up by the city municipal council under the supervision of the Karnataka Urban Infrastructure Development Corporation (KUIDC). The development works will be completed in the next six months, he added.

Integrated development

However, the integrated development of the city needs a sum of Rs. 158 crores and the council is planning to mobilise the remaining amount through its own resources. Roads in many residential extensions have been damaged due to traffic diversion.

This issue was discussed at the recent meeting of the Integrated Development of Small and Medium Towns (IDSMT) and the council has sought Rs. 3 crores for asphalting roads, he said.

The Nirmal Nagar Yojane will be taken up soon in the city and the council has received a grant of Rs. 1.38 crores for the purpose. The responsibility of disposing wastes scientifically will be handed over to Stree Shakti self-help groups.

He said that 50 of the 150 development works taken up in the city at a cost of Rs. 1.40 crores have already been completed.

Dues collected

Of the Rs. 74 lakh due to civic authorities as water tax, Rs. 40 lakhs has already been collected. He added that the second phase of water supply works will be taken up with the help of the Karnataka Urban Water Supply and Sewerage Board (KUWSSB) at a cost of Rs. 14 crores.

Tenders have been invited for constructing a slaughterhouse near the municipal office and all slaughterhouses will be shifted there from the Chippinkatte area.

Outstanding bills of contractors to the tune of Rs. 70 lakhs has been cleared. The work on the sewerage treatment plant at Bittagowdanahalli will be taken up soon.

He said that despite opposition from villagers the council will continue to carry out work on the project as it is committed to safeguard the interests of more than 1.5 lakh people in Hassan city.

Encroachments

Mr. Kumar regretted that there are 75 parks in city according to the Hassan Urban Development Authority. However, most of them have been illegally encroached upon and occupied by people.

Admitting that the municipal council and the development authority have failed in evicting the illegal occupants, he said that a task force has been formed to evict them from parks.

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