Congress workers led by former MLA J R Lobo staged a dharna protesting against the inordinate delay in completion of Kadri Park road work.
The activists held placards which stated that funds were being misused in the name of Smart City Mission and accused the authorities over delay in completing the work.
Lobo addressing the protesters charged that the work had been moving at a snail’s pace. The work had not seen any progress even six months after initiation of the road project.
During the tender process, the estimated cost was mentioned as Rs 4 crore under the Smart City Mission. Now, the project cost has escalated to Rs 12 crore.
Kadri Park is visited by a large number of people, including tourists. The musical fountain and toy train too had stopped functioning at the park. Funds should not be wasted in the name of development, he said.
He accused the MLA of failing to monitor the developmental works. The projects initiated in Mangaluru should be completed at the earliest or the Congress workers will stage a protest at the site of the work, to wake up the authorities.
The projects that were sanctioned during the Congress regime are being implemented shabbily by the BJP government now, he charged.
The work on the Kadri Park road was initiated in May. The road was dug up to facilitate the work and this has been causing inconveniences in the movement of people.
As per the proposal, the road will be divided into east, west and middle zone. The east zone will be from Kadri Police Station till Akashavani and motorists should take a ‘U’ turn, while the west zone is from Paduva High School to Gorakshanatha Hall and then take a ‘U’ turn.
There will be no movement of vehicles in the middle zone. The middle zone will have children’s play area, walking track and other amenities, stated sources.