With the participation of private partners, the Member of Parliament from Dakshina Kannada initiated the work on developing Balpa village in Sullia taluk as a model village under the Sansad Adarsha Gram Yojana on Monday.

Speaking at the launch of various projects in the village, Nalin Kumar Kateel, MP from Dakshina Kannada, said that the development of Balpa as a model village will be carried out in three phases. He has sought the participation of major companies, banks and educational institutions in the district for this development process.

Project cost The first phase work is estimated to cost around ₹20 crore. Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd (MRPL) has agreed to build a community hall for the village at a cost of ₹20 lakh, and Mangalore Chemicals and Fertilizers has agreed to develop hospitals in the village in the first phase.

New Mangalore Port Trust and KIOCL Ltd have agreed to develop schools and anganwadis in the village, Mangalore Special Economic Zone has agreed to develop the village panchayat building.

Kateel said the public sector Syndicate Bank will open a branch and an ATM in the village soon.

Second phase The phase-2 works will include development of roads, a lake and lighting facilities in the village at a cost of ₹15 crore. More than 30 solar street lights will be installed in the village as part of rural lighting. Kateel said he wants to develop the village as a cultural centre in the phase-3.

Stating that the agriculture will be the main focus area for the development of Balpa as a model village, he said the Karnataka Agriculture Department will take up organic farming to develop traditional crops in the village.

Rajesh Naik, a progressive farmer from Bantwal taluk of the district, will assist the villagers in the establishment of gobar gas-based power plant.

Survey The representatives of educational institutions from the district said that they would carry out a comprehensive survey of the village and its requirements.

AB Ibrahim, Deputy Commissioner of Dakshina Kannada district, suggested that all the stakeholders in the development of the village carry out a quarterly review of the works. This will help in the smooth implementation of the project works, he added.

Balpa gram panchayat has two revenue villages (Balpa and Kenya). It has a total population of 4158.