MANGALURU: Mangaluru City North BJP MLA Y Bharat Shetty on Tuesday said that Fazil, who was murdered in Surathkal on July 28 last year, should have got the compensation from the government like others as per the rules.
Shetty also said that the Dakshina Kannada district administration had sent a proposal to the State Government seeking compensation for Fazil’s family. Asked why he did not visit Fazil’s grieving family that resides in Mangaluru North represented by him, Shetty said that he stayed away as he did not want to add to the tension that prevailed at the time of the killing. The first-time MLA was speaking at an interaction programme at Mangaluru Press Club.
Shetty maintained that he is unaware of Sharan Pumpwell’s recent controversial statement. To a query, the MLA said that tourists are ready to come to Mangaluru and they are not affected by a few labelling the city as “communally sensitive”. “The feeling that it is communally sensitive is just a perception,” he said. However, he admitted that IT companies are reluctant to set up units in the coastal city due to the absence of nightlife and entertainment.
To another query, he said that personally he believes that the timings of beaches should be extended for tourists and it should not be out of bounds for them during the night. This, he said will most likely be a reality after surveillance and security is upgraded at Thannirbhavi beach which is being developed at a cost of Rs 17 crore in a bid to get the ‘Blue Flag’ tag.