Mangalore bets on 2 villages for Smart City

September 22, 2014

A population of 513. That’s what Mangalore desperately requires to qualify for the Prime Minister’s ambitious Smart City project under which 100 Indian towns are likely to leapfrog into the next league with modern amenities.

Guidelines say cities with a population of 5 lakh to 10 lakh, as per Census 2011, will be chosen for the Smart City plan. Now, Mangalore is looking at bringing in two villages with a combined population of 80,000 under its fold to swell the numbers beyond the magical 5-lakh mark.

Moodushedde and Bala are the villages expected to give Mangalore a big push. Moodushedde, about 22km from the city, is located on the way to Moodbidri; Bala is a 25-minute drive towards Surathkal.

The city in general and the district as a whole have been witnessing regressive positive growth in its decadal population figures.

The district population marginally rose from 18,97,730 in 2001 to 20,89,649 in 2011. In fact, its share in Karnataka’s population has declined from 3.59% in 2001 to 3.42% in 2011.

The district saw its population grow 10.11% from 2001 to 2011, and it’s a steep climb from 14.59% seen from 1991 to 2001. To make the cut for the Smart City project, Mangalore civic authorities are dusting up a resolution passed three years ago to push up its population figure.

Source:Times of India