Mangaluru City Corporation clears Rajakaluve encroachment

Finally, the Mangaluru City Corporation has woken up to check the artificial flood which devastated the city during the recent rainfall (May 29).

Following the direction of the deputy commissioner to clear the Rajakaluve (main stormwater drain) encroachments, the city corporation has taken up an initiative to clear encroachment of the storm water drains near Kottara Chowki on Monday.

Concrete slabs, laid by some private commercial buildings and houses, across the drain were cleared at Kottara-Malemar Road.

The encroachment of the ‘Rajakaluve’ had choked the drains, thus resulting in artificial floods. As the drain was closed with concrete, the MCC could not remove the silt from the drains.

The drive to clear the encroachment was started near Mahesh College in Kottara Chowki on Monday morning. The drive to clear the encroachment of ‘Rajakaluve’ will continue, MCC Commissioner Mohammed Nazeer said.

Following the artificial flood that wrecked havoc on the residents of Mangaluru on May 29, Deputy Commissioner Sasikanth Senthil had constituted a committee to look into the encroachment of the ‘Rajakaluve’ and silt filling the drains on May 30.

Inspection

The committee had first inspected the ‘Rajakaluve’ from Kottara Chowki that joins Phalguni river in Gurpura and the ‘Rajakaluve’ at Jeppu that joins Nethravathi river and a report were submitted to the deputy commissioner.

A committee, led by MUDA Commissioner Dr Bhaskar, was asked to conduct a survey on the encroachment.

In the meantime, a private agency has also been appointed to conduct a survey on the encroachment of the ‘Rajakaluve’.

The agency, under the guidance of Muda commissioner, has already started the survey and the report is awaited.