ERP for private vehicles in Mangaluru: Senthil Kumar
MANGALURU: In a bid to provide a smooth functioning of public transport and to reduce the traffic congestion, Dakshina Kannada Deputy Commissioner Sasikanth Senthil suggested to introduce Electronic Road Price (ERP) in the city.
The DC briefed about the ERP to media persons after proposing it in the RTA meeting recently.
Senthil said "Mangaluru - being one of the developing cities, is facing major traffic which has made it difficult for people to travel around the city. It is better to implement ERP for private vehicles which are unnecessarily entering the city. Under ERP system, private vehicle owners have to pay a certain amount to enter the city during peak hours. As it is an electronic system, the amount will be deducted directly from e-wallets of the vehicle's owner. Similar systems have already been implemented in Singapore, and they have seen excellent results from this."
He said "soon, a meeting In this regard will be held with the officials of Mangaluru City Corporation and elected representatives. The minute details like the type of vehicles to be brought under ERP system, area and amount will be fixed after taking suggestions in various phases."
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Senthil said "Increase in the traffic movement leads to widening of roads. Due to which, old buildings and monuments in the city are facing problems. With the regulation of ERP system, private vehicles' entry will be reduced in the city. With that, we can get rid of traffic congestion and air pollution also."
"At present, this system (ERP) does not exist in our country. If this system gets implemented in Mangaluru, It will become a model for rest of the cities in India. The ERP system, which does not require any major investment, can be introduced along with the Smart City mission," he said.
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50 Munambam residents join BJP after Waqf (Amendment) Bill passed
Ernakulam: Hours after the Parliament passed the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 50 residents from Munambam, a coastal village at the centre of the ongoing Waqf land dispute in Kerala, joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). All of them are Christians who had previously supported the Congress and CPI(M), according to Joseph Benny, convener of the Munambam protesters’ action committee.
The move came as BJP state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar visited Munambam and addressed the local protesters, assuring them of continued support. “This is an important day in the state's political history. This agitation has given strength to the Prime Minister and Parliament to pass the amendment Bill. We will be with you until you get back revenue rights over the land,” Chandrasekhar said. He added that the Bill has the potential to restore land rights to the people of Munambam and accused their elected MPs and MLAs of betrayal.
Around 600 families, mostly Christians, have been protesting for over 170 days after the Kerala State Waqf Board staked claim to the 400 acres of land they have inhabited for generations.
Meanwhile, the Catholic Church-linked Malayalam daily Deepika criticised the Congress and CPI(M) for rejecting the Church’s demand that their MPs support amending “anti-people sections” of the Waqf law. It accused them of attempting to instil fear among minorities by citing Sangh Parivar attacks on Christians in northern states and Manipur.
The BJP has positioned itself as the only party backing the cause of Munambam residents, while accusing both CPI(M) and Congress of prioritising Muslim interests in Kerala. Though both LDF and UDF later extended support to the Munambam agitation, their MPs voted against the amendments.
The Munambam area falls under the Ernakulam Lok Sabha constituency, represented by Congress MP Hibi Eden, and the Vypen Assembly segment, represented by CPI(M) MLA K N Unnikrishnan.
