Dakshina Kannada, Udupi get additional grants

The Hindu

MANGALORE: Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts have got the lion’s share of the additional funds of Rs. 15 crore allocated for clearing pending bills and taking up continuing works.

The projects were taken up under the rural connectivity programme for the non-SDP taluks — the ones not covered under the special development plan (SDP) for backward taluks, identified by the Nanjundappa Committee on regional imbalance.The grants are to be used only for clearing pending bills of 2008-09 or for works taken up in 2008-09 and continued in 2009-10. According to a communication received by the Dakshina Kannada Zilla Panchayat, Udupi got Rs. 2.44 crore and Dakshina Kannada got Rs. 2.35 crore under the rural connectivity head. The next highest allocation has been made to Chikmagalur (Rs. 1.16 crore) and Kodagu (Rs. 1.15 crore). The allocation is less than Rs. 1 crore for other districts.

The communication has said that the funds should used in all the three taluks of Udupi district and Mangalore, Belthangady and Bantwal taluks of Dakshina Kannada district. No allocations have been to Sullia and Puttur taluks. The two districts had earlier appealed for higher allocation of funds under the project for clearing pending bills and for the works continued from the previous year.