Posted on June 17, 2024
Councillors of Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC) cutting across party lines complained to Mayor Sudheer Shetty Kannur at a meeting here on Friday, June 14, that the ‘raja kaluves’ and roadside stormwater drains have not been dredged properly to prevent flooding in the city.
The Mayor had called the meeting to review the preparedness of the corporation to face any emergency situation due to heavy rains in the city.
Former Mayor Jayananda Anchan said that roadside drains between Yeyyadi and Padavinangady on the airport road have not been dredged (de-silted) and hence, stormwater flows on the road whenever there is heavy rain.
Another former Mayor and now whip in the council Premananda Shetty said that the civic body should have a plan of action to dredge roadside drains. Floodwater entered houses in many places in the city for not dredging the roadside drains. The corporation should have a night gang to attend to emergencies during the night. Road digging should be completely banned during rainy season, he said.
Many councillors complained that the corporation has not dredged ‘raja kaluves’ completely. If some portions are dredged, some more portions have been left out. In such a situation, silt accumulates at dredged portions from portions which are not dredged. With this there is no use of dredging ‘raja kaluves’, they said.
Though councillors complained, neither the Mayor nor Commissioner C.L. Anand announced any plan of action for dredging roadside drains. The Mayor told the councillors to submit a list of ‘raja kaluves’ which have not been dredged properly.
Congress councillor Naveen R. D’Souza said that the corporation should provide compensation to the family of the autorickshaw driver who died in a rain-related incident at Kottara Chowki recently. The driver was killed when his three-wheeler fell into an overflowing roadside drain during night.
Councillor Kiran Kodical said that though councillors have been demanding to construct railings or protection walls to roadside drains and ‘raja kaluves’ in many areas, the civic body did little to realise it. Many such drains and ‘raja kaluves’ posed risk to the lives of people when they were overflowing.
Councillor Shwetha A. took the Commissioner to task complaining that he and other senior officials of the corporation were not receiving her calls. She said that the officials were passing the buck. Ms. Shwetha said that she thought of complaining on the same to the Lokayutka as her ward (Surathal East) had many problems and the officials were not responding.
