S.M. Krishna’s initiative for development of coastal Karnataka remembered

People of Mangaluru remembered former Chief Minister S.M. Krishna for granting some far-sighted development projects to the coastal belt, including Karnataka Urban Development and Coastal Environmental Management Project (KUDCEMP) for improving drinking water supply and drainage network.

People of Mangaluru remembered former Chief Minister S.M. Krishna for granting some far-sighted development projects to the coastal belt, including Karnataka Urban Development and Coastal Environmental Management Project (KUDCEMP) for improving drinking water supply and drainage network.

Former Mayor Mahabala Marla said it was Mr. Krishna who sanctioned ₹2,000 crore under the KUDCEMP in 2001 for improving the drinking water supply and drainage network in Mangaluru and other coastal Karnataka areas. Of the ₹2,000 crore, ₹350 crore was for Mangaluru. The works started when he (Mr. Marla) was chairman of MCC’s standing committee for town planning and improvement.

Former Mangaluru City South MLA J.R. Lobo, who was the then KUDCEMP project director, said the project was for carrying out works in Mangaluru, Ullal, Puttur, Udupi, Kundapur, Bhatkal, Kumta, Karwar, Ankola, and Dandeli. Mr. Krishna launched the project at a function in Mangaluru’s Town Hall.

Remembering the support Mr. Krishna gave for improving urban infrastructure, another former Mayor M. Shashidhar Hegde said Mr. Krishna, as the Chief Minister, inaugurated the concrete road between PVS Circle and Narayana Guru (erstwhile Lady Hill Circle) Circle in 2003. “I was Mayor then,” Mr. Hegde recalled.

Former Mangaluru City North MLA Vijaykumar Shetty said: “He was a down-to-earth politician. It was in his term as Chief Minister that many development works were taken up in the erstwhile Surathkal Assembly constituency”.

Former Minister and KPCC vice-president B. Ramanath Rai remembered the astute manner in which Mr. Krishna handled the situation following riots resulting from the Cauvery water dispute and also the kidnap of thespian Rajkumar by Veerappan. As the head of Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee, Mr. Krishna conducted ‘Panchajanya’ tour across the State to bring the Congress to power in the State in 2002, he said. Mr. Rai served as Minister of Transport in Mr. Krishna’s Cabinet.

Former chairman of KEONICS Harikrishna Bantwal said Bengaluru’s growth as software capital is because of Mr. Krishna. It was during his tenure as Chief Minister that KEONICS was set up in the Electronics City.