‘City Corporation collecting higher taxes but failing to deliver devpt
Years after the city's upgradation, ruined major roads and junctions continue to cause daily hardships for residents.
CH NEWS, RAICHUR MLA Shivaraj Patil has accused the Raichur City Corporation of collecting higher taxes from the public without undertaking development works commensurate with the increased revenue. Addressing a press conference, the MLA said, people had expected faster urban development after the erstwhile municipal council was upgraded to a city corporation. However, he alleged that despite the collection of increased taxes, the city had not witnessed the expected improvement in basic infrastructure. Patil said, priority should be given to roads, footpaths, underground drainage and other essential civic amenities. Drawing attention to road safety concerns, the MLA pointed out that an open stormwater drain near Janata Darshini Hotel, close to Chandramouleshwara Circle, posed a danger to motorists. He urged the authorities to identify such hazardous locations and take immediate safety measures to prevent accidents. He also highlighted the lack of proper footpaths along the stretch from Basaveshwara Circle to Gunj Circle. He demanded pedestrian facilities along the roads from Patel Circle to Shettidavi Circle and from Mahabaleshwar Circle to Patel Circle. Patil said traffic congestion had increased at several major junctions, including Kallane Circle, Ambedkar Circle, Mahabaleshwar Circle, Patel Circle and Station Circle. He criticised the authorities for failing to install traffic signals at locations where they were required to regulate vehicle movement. He also called for road widening wherever necessary on narrow stretches, including the roads from Mahaveer Circle to Gandhi Chowk, Harihar Road, Batte Bazaar, Kandagadde Maramma Temple Road and Geeta Mandir Road. Patil also referred to allegations that corporation officials Santhosh Rani and Mallikarjun were harassing employees. He said a lack of coordination between officials and staff could hamper the smooth implementation of development works. Calling for administrative reforms, he urged the corporation to improve coordination between officers and employees so that civic projects could be implemented effectively.
