Corporation finds two sponsors for its road adoption scheme

March 19, 2011

Mangalore, March 19: The appeal by Mangalore City Corporation to adopt its 22 roads and five parks for three-year maintenance under “own your road and own your park'' scheme has found two takers.

A senior official of the corporation told The Hindu on Friday that the local unit of Prajapitha Brahma Kumaris Ishwariya Vishwa Vidyalaya has come forward to adopt the three-acre Mahatma Gandhi Park at Mannagudda and Durga Facilities Management Services has come forward to maintain the 700-metre tar road stretch between Karavali Circle and Mahaveera Circle. The corporation would soon enter into memoranda of understanding with them, the official said.

Karavali Circle-Mahaveera Circle Road is 14 metres in width and its median is one metre wide. The corporation has estimated its annual maintenance cost at Rs. 18.80 lakh.

It includes pavement patchworks and cleaning, kerb patchworks and painting, median patchworks and painting, streetlight replacing, marking zebra crossing, on street marking, maintaining traffic signboards, maintaining cat's eye and reflective tapes, carriageway patchwork, joint filling and cleaning, roadside tree plantation and watering and maintaining bus bays.

A booklet prepared by the corporation said the amount mentioned was only indicative cost. It estimated the annual maintenance cost of Mahatma Gandhi Park at Rs. 9.94 lakh.

Time sought

Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner of Dakshina Kannada Subodh Yadav convened a meeting here on Friday to discuss with representatives of banks and other establishments that were interested in adopting the roads and parks.

However, the representatives said they needed to discuss it with their higher ups. Most of the participants in the meeting were from banks.

Although Mr. Yadav offered them a chance to block the roads that they were interested in, the bankers said they need to discuss it with their higher ups since it involved financial aspects.

Mr. Yadav said the Government had been keen on implementing the scheme with effect from April. He said that every organisation had its corporate social responsibility.

The Deputy Commissioner said he had mooted the concept of adoption as sometimes the Government did not have enough funds to take up maintenance work immediately. Even if it had funds, long procedures involved did not allow implementing emergency works. Hence some works got delayed.

Mr. Yadav asked the bankers to get back to the corporation after discussing it with their higher ups.

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Clean and Green on Wheels: Mangaluru’s Push for Electric Public Transport

News Network

November 13,2024

In the heart of Mangaluru, where rising air pollution is spurring public health worries, voices are calling for a greener, cleaner shift in the city’s public transport. Leading this call is APD Foundation, a Mangaluru-based environmental NGO, which has urged Forest, Ecology, and Environment Minister Eshwar Khandre to mandate electric vehicle (EV) adoption in public transport.

Abdullah A Rehman, CEO of APD Foundation, emphasized in a formal letter to the minister that Mangaluru’s public transportation system—efficient and organized with both government and private players—could transition smoothly to EVs in stages. He suggested that government-backed financial incentives, partnerships with EV manufacturers, and collaborations with environmental groups could streamline the switch.

Rehman stressed the potential of EVs to cut down emissions, enhance air quality, and reduce noise levels, noting the quieter operation of electric buses. He confirmed that a copy of his letter was submitted to the Deputy Commissioner as well.

However, Dilraj Alva from the Dakshina Kannada City Bus Association noted potential challenges, explaining that the shift might take up to two years due to infrastructure and budget hurdles. Most EV buses, he explained, are procured through aggregators, not directly by individual operators. The addition of charging stations and other essential infrastructure further complicates the transition.

Alva also raised the economic concern: while diesel buses are priced between ₹30-40 lakh, electric buses can cost up to ₹1 crore. Reflecting on recent meetings with companies, including one in Manipal, he questioned the assumption that EVs are an absolute solution to pollution. “EVs aren’t entirely eco-friendly, especially when considering battery disposal,” he cautioned.

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