MANGALURU: The coastal city of Mangaluru is set to witness a historic moment on Friday as the Karnataka cabinet holds its first-ever meeting in the region at the recently opened Praja Soudha, which houses the Dakshina Kannada deputy commissioner’s office.
The high-profile meeting will be held at the specially designed ‘Cabinet Hall’ on the second floor of the imposing building. The hall has been readied with state-of-the-art facilities to host the chief minister and his cabinet colleagues. Reflecting the cultural identity of the coast, the interiors of Praja Soudha feature artistic depictions of Kambala and other traditional elements of coastal Karnataka.
Chief Minister D K Shivakumar and several ministers arrived in Mangaluru on Thursday evening. A special dinner was hosted for them at Thannirbhavi beach, where they were served traditional coastal cuisine amid the scenic surroundings.
The ministers will begin Friday’s proceedings with a special puja at the Sri Manjunatheshwara Temple at Kadri before proceeding to Praja Soudha. At Pumpwell Circle, the chief minister and ministers will board an open bus for a grand reception, before they travel towards Praja Soudha.
The city has been given a makeover ahead of the meeting, with major roads witnessing beautification works. Medians have been freshly painted, while welcome hoardings have come up along key stretches.
Expectations are high among people of the three coastal districts -- Dakshina Kannada, Udupi and Uttara Kannada -- with hopes that the maiden cabinet meeting will result in a slew of development announcements.
Shivakumar, who has repeatedly highlighted the tourism potential of coastal Karnataka, is expected to announce measures to promote tourism besides clearing major infrastructure projects.
In the run-up to the meeting, elected representatives, trade bodies, cultural organisations and various community groups have submitted a long list of demands to the state government. Among the prominent demands are second official language status for Tulu, measures to accelerate industrialisation and employment generation, promotion of temple tourism, permanent solutions to coastal erosion and upgradation of the Mangaluru Fisheries College into a university.
Speaking after arriving at Mangaluru International Airport, Shivakumar said the cabinet meeting would give a “new outlook” to coastal Karnataka. He said the meeting was aimed at addressing the aspirations of the people of the region and assured them that the government would examine and fulfil the demands submitted by elected representatives.