Municipal Administration Minister H.C. Balakrishna at a review meeting in Mysuru on Monday.
| Photo Credit: M.A. Sriram
Municipal Administration Minister H.C. Balakrishna on Monday directed urban local bodies (ULBs) to accord greater priority to resource mobilisation to ensure better provision of basic amenities, including drinking water, roads, underground drainage, and street lighting.Presiding over a review meeting on the functioning of ULBs in Mysuru, Chamarajanagar, and Kodagu districts at the Regional Commissioner’s office here, Mr. Balakrishna said that providing basic infrastructure in urban areas was the responsibility of the department.“Resources are essential for administration. Though the Union and State governments provide funds, ULBs should ensure the timely collection of taxes on local properties and services,” he said.He directed the Deputy Commissioners to arrange for engineers from the Public Works Department to be given additional charge in ULBs where engineering posts were vacant.The Minister said budgets presented by ULBs should not be a mere formality and must be based on systematic tax collection and realistic revenue projections. Around 30% of the funds available to ULBs came through Union and State government grants, he said.Drive against encroachmentsMr. Balakrishna directed officials to launch a special drive to clear encroachments on ULB properties and made it clear that there would be “no compromise” on the removal of encroachments.On waste management, he said several companies had come forward to collect waste generated within ULB limits and produce biogas. The department would hold discussions with the companies and enter into agreements, he said.Animal Husbandry and Sericulture Minister C. Puttarangashetty said burning units should be established for cremation in the ULB areas of the Chamarajanagar district. He also pointed out that several ULB properties had been encroached upon by private individuals and that many such cases were pending before the courts.MLAs highlight civic issuesA.S. Ponnanna, Virajpet MLA, who participated through videoconference, said drinking water pipeline works under AMRUT 2.0 in Virajpet were yet to be completed, and that household tap connections had not been provided.G.T. Deve Gowda, Chamundeshwari MLA, highlighted the shortage of engineers in ULBs and said that around 1,000 private layouts had been formed in and around Mysuru without adequate development. The lack of infrastructure in these layouts had made it difficult to provide basic amenities, he said.G.D. Harish Gowda, Hunsur MLA, said sewage from Hunsur was flowing into the Lakshmanathirtha river and was polluting it. An estimate of ₹72 crore had been prepared to prevent sewage from entering the river, he said.Mantar Gowda, Madikeri MLA, said household tap connections under AMRUT 2.0 were yet to be provided and that the works were progressing slowly. He sought the construction of retaining walls in view of landslides in Madikeri and said the town lacked a site for dumping collected waste.D. Ravishankar, K.R. Nagar MLA, said underground drainage works in several parts of the K.R. Nagar municipal limits remained incomplete.Director of the Directorate of Municipal Administration P.S. Ravindra said Union and State government grants should be utilised within the stipulated period, as carrying them forward to the next financial year would increase the applicable SR rates. ULBs should mobilise their own resources and utilise the revenue for development works, he said, stressing systematic tax collection and construction of borewells wherever necessary.Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar, Mysuru-Kodagu MP, Venkatesh, Periyapatna MLA, MLCs Manjegowda, D. Thimmaiah, K. Shivakumar and Vivekananda, Urban Development Department Secretary B.B. Cauvery and officials of various ULBs were present. Published - August 31, 2026 07:51 pm IST
