MCC seeks ₹350 crore for phase 1 of building scientific UGD network

The Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC) has sought grant of ₹350 crore from the State government for the first phase of work to set right the missing links in the Under Ground Drainage (UGD) network and also to bring uncovered areas of the city into the network, said MCC Commissioner Rahul Ratnam Pandey in Mangaluru on Tuesday.

During the quarterly Karnataka Development Plan meeting chaired by district-incharge Minister U.T. Khader, MLC P.V. Mohan expressed concern over continued deterioration of groundwater quality in Mangaluru city. “Mangaluru city is known as the city of wells. Unfortunately the underground water is getting contaminated to such an extent that it has forced places of worship to stop use of well water to give ‘Tirtha’ and get water from other sources for the purpose,” he said.

Mr. Pandey said of an estimated 80 million litres per day (MLD) of sewage was generated and only around 50 MLD gets treated. So far, the new 660-km-long UGD network was in place and work was on to relay the line in 180 km stretch. MCC has sought grants in phases, for building a proper UGD network across the city. “In the first phase, which will cover the Central Business District, we have sought ₹350 crore,” he said.

Kasturirangan report

Mr. Khader directed Forest Department officials to visit at the earliest 43 villages in the district that the Union Ministry of Environment and Forest has proposed to declare as environmentally sensitive area (ESA) as per the recommendation by the K. Kasturirangan Committee. The Minister asked officials to enable villagers to file objections online to the MOEF’s proposal. Belthangady MLA Harish Poonja said this should be done before the special legislature session scheduled from September 21 to 23. MP Capt. Brijesh Chowta said opposition from villagers will add strength to State government’s opposition of the 7th draft notification of ESA.

Brushing aside allegations of slackness in the working of members of Guaranatee Implementation Commitee at the district and taluk level, district committee president Bharath Mundody said the committee members were sincerely working to ensure guarantee schemes reach the needy. The members have worked in tandem with anganwadi workers and other officials to get return of ₹1.43 crore out of ₹3.34 crore paid to deceased beneficiaries of ‘Gruha Lakshmi’ scheme.

MLC Dhananjay Sirji urged the Department for Empowerment of Differently Abled and Senior Citizens to take steps to make more people with special disabilities avail the benefit of Niramaya Health Insurance scheme.

MLC Kishore Kumar Puttur asked district officials to relax norms related to grant of gun licenses to residents along the forest fringes in Belthangady, Sullia, and Kadaba regions. Deputy Commissioner H. Darshan said the National Highway Authority of India has increased ‘no development zone’ from 40 m to 75 m from the centre line of the National Highway. “This increase in the area will make it difficult to implement it in undulating terrain of Dakshina Kannada. The State government should take up with the Centre,” Mr. Darshan said.