Water supply is priority of mayor saab

MANGALORE: Transparency in governance, responding to the needs of citizens, judicious expenditure, cleansing the corporation of the corrupt, serious planning and permanent solution to water supply problem in the city. These are the priorities of the newly elected Mayor K Divakar.
In a chat with The Times of India, after assuming charge as the first citizen of Mangalore, Divakar remarked he will take up the challenge to make the city a better place to live in.
He confessed it came as surprise that he was able to don the mayoral robes at such a young age. Being the youngest mayor is a matter of pride but one should not forget the same works to your disadvantage as expectations are very high, he said.
Topping the list of priorities is the need to evolve a permanent, concrete solution to water supply problem that hit Mangalore city recently like never before.
Everyone, including the mayor, corporators and officials had pressed the panic button when the water levels at Thumbe dropped in a matter of hours, he recalled. This had been due to the ill planned water supply system and the lack of preparedness to face any such crises.
Even as a corporator, preparing a blueprint for solutions to issues had been a matter of interest and now was the chance to prove his abilities, a smiling Divakar said.
We shall waste no time in chalking out a plan of action in consultation with experts to enhance pumping capacity at Thumbe vented dam to cater to the growing needs of the city. The ADB assisted projects had provisions for the repair and laying of new water lines to the city.
The thrust area will be infrastructure development, he said. New roads, underground drainage system, strict implementation of norms to keep the city clean and its beautification, effective malarial control action plan, strict monitoring the issue of licences for new buildings are a few areas which need attention.
Admitting that the corporation was a treasure house of corruption, Divakar said there needs to be a thorough cleansing to curb corruption at all levels, may it be the issuing of certificates, tender bids, construction of infrastructural facilities or the 18 per cent scheme. It is time corporators joined hands to fight against unfair deals and transform MCC into a model corporation, he said.
Asked about the turn of events that tilted the odds in his favour to ascend the plum post, Divakar, like a seasoned politician said he wished to be silent on the issue. “I was one of the deserving candidates. It is now important how well I am able to utilise the opportunity provided,� he remarked.
Enjoying considerable support from all factions and even the opposition, Divakar is confident of emerging as one of the most effective mayors the city has seen.