Udupi: Newly appointed Deputy Commissioner Swaroopa T K on Friday said that addressing the district’s long-pending and serious issues will be her top priority. She was speaking at her first press conference after taking charge as the DC of Udupi.

Having worked mostly in Bengaluru, Swaroopa T K said she may not have had much direct contact with people earlier, but she is well aware of their problems. “My experience as CEO of Dharwad Zilla Panchayat has given me a good understanding of rural issues,” she added.

Swaroopa said serving as the Deputy Commissioner of Udupi is both a new challenge and an opportunity. “Though I have experience in public administration, this role will be more challenging. But I will handle it efficiently,” she assured.

She highlighted several pressing issues that will be addressed as a priority, including the district’s sand shortage. “Efforts will be made to study the sand-related problems and find suitable solutions,” she said.

She added that she would soon visit flood-affected areas for on-ground inspection.

The Deputy Commissioner also outlined key focus areas like effective management during monsoon emergencies, issuing caste certificates to orphaned and shelterless children, speeding up the process of issuing 9/11 single-site survey maps, addressing sea erosion issues, fast-tracking the construction of the new district hospital building and resolving issues related to national highways

Swaroopa said steps will be taken to attract environment-friendly industries to the district and support agriculture-related activities to ensure overall development of Udupi. She added that programmes will be planned to increase paddy cultivation in the future.

Commenting on the recent viral video showing a damaged road causing traffic issues, Swaroopa said it is not wrong to make such problems viral. “Making real public issues viral is acceptable. But spreading false or incorrect information must be avoided,” she warned.