Karwar: Uttara Kannada District In-charge Minister R V Deshpande took the officials of Backward Community Department to task for appointing one contractor to drill 371 borewells, who has only two drilling machines. Chairing the KDP progress review meeting held at Zilla Panchayat office in Karwar on Thursday, he was irked with the unscientific style of functioning of the officials in connection with the implementation of Ganga Kalyan scheme. He also fired few officials for indifferent attitude in implementing development works, despite releasing fund for respective works
Deshpande instructed Assistant Commissioners and Tahasildars to undertake spot visits where developmental works are going on to assess the quality of works.
He said, how unscientifically this project has been taken up. with a single machine, the contractor is aiming to meet the target and the officials without questioning this, have maintained silence, he said.
He directed the contractor to arrange for four machines in a week’s time to drill borewells and deploy them at various places. If the contractor fails to meet the deadline, his licence will be cancelled, the minister warned.
Earlier, Agriculture Joint Director Honnappa Gouda said, Rs. two crore has been sanctioned to purchase machinery and give it to the farmers of which 99% of fund is utilised. Under the Krishi Bhagya, 202 krishi honda (agri ponds) have been constructed in Haliyal, Mundgod and Banavasi till December 31.
Deshpande said, there were complaints of same beneficiaries getting facilities under Agriculture and Horticulture Department.
He suspected that officials are hand-in-glove in selecting beneficiaries and directed to strictly give the responsibility to the elected representatives to choose beneficiaries.
Minister Deshpande was dissatisfied with the progress of Pradhan Mantri Rural Road Development programme taken up by the Public Works Department. Some of the roads in Joida which were constructed using modern techniques, are in sorry state of affair within few months.
The officials have not monitored the road work and hence, substandard roads have been constructed, he said.
In Kumta, the company which had bagged a road work, has not started the work even after three years. In re-tender, again the same company has been selected. The officials are not putting heart and soul into work and hence, the works are not progressing.
he asked the ZP CEO to prepare a list of contractors bagging works in the district and erring contractors would face action, he said.
District Health Officer Ashok Kumar said, there is shortage of 51 specialist doctors in the district. None are coming forward to work in rural areas. Minister directed the DHO to send this report to the government.
The DHO further said that this year 108 confirmed dengue cases have been reported and no deaths have taken place. 21 rat fever cases are reported and one person has died. 49 H1N1 cases are reported and 10 people have lost their lives. These cases are more in Bhatkal and Sirsi. 41 malaria and Kyasanur Forest Disease cases are reported but no deaths have been reported, he said.