Land allocation for hostel buildings must be fast-tracked

District in-charge secretary and Rural Development and Panchayat Raj department secretary Sameer Shukla has directed officials to expedite the allocation of land for constructing hostel buildings for students under various government welfare departments.

Chairing a district-level progress review meeting at the Deputy Commissioner’s office on Tuesday, Shukla said the government has sanctioned new hostel facilities for students belonging to social welfare, backward classes and minority departments, and construction must proceed without delay. He stressed the need for inter-departmental coordination in securing land and warned that delays would not be tolerated.

He also instructed officials to ensure regular health check-ups for hostel students and strict monitoring of food quality to safeguard their well-being. Reviewing the implementation of guarantee schemes, Shukla directed authorities to complete pending registrations under the Gruhalakshmi scheme and release benefits to eligible recipients without delay.

Referring to the sanction of 100 electric buses for Mangaluru under KSRTC, he urged officials to accelerate procurement and operational readiness, including establishing charging stations and related infrastructure.

On the Jal Jeevan Mission rural drinking water programme, Shukla noted that 650 works have been completed in the district at a cost of ₹482 crore, achieving 84% progress.

He instructed officials to finish the remaining works by the end of February and ensure proper restoration of roads affected by pipeline laying.

He further said that Har Ghar Jal projects must be verified in gram sabhas upon completion.

Expressing dissatisfaction over delays despite fund releases, he cautioned KRIDL to speed up pending works. Deputy Commissioner Darshan H.V., Zilla Panchayat CEO Narvade Vinayak Karbari, and Mangaluru Sub-Division Officer Meenakshi Arya

were present.