Current rain damage estimate at least Rs. 60 cr

Current rain damage estimate at least Rs. 60 cr

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangaluru, June 29 2018: Heavy rain in the city in the last one month,  has caused about Rs. 61 crore damage to public property, according to Mohammed Nazir, Commissioner, Mangaluru City Corporation.

The heavy rain damaged roads, footpaths, drains, interlock pavements, underground sewage network, compound walls and the like.

The on-going assessment would be completed within the next three days. According to a draft report of the corporation, the damage has now been estimated at Rs. 61 crore. It could go up after the final assessment.

He said that the corporation has sent a proposal to the Deputy Commissioner to sanction Rs. 11 crore as compensation to be paid to those who lost their houses and whose property were damaged in rain. Many councillors, during the meeting, expressed concern over the encroachment of raja kaluves (major storm-water drains) in the city. Sudhir Shetty Kannur, a councillor, said that the width of the raja kaluve in Kannur has now shrunk to 30 ft from 100 ft earlier due to encroachment. Dayananda Shetty and Harish Shetty, councillors, said that the raja kaluve in Kulur has been encroached upon. Mr. Shetty alleged that an engineering college at Kulur has encroached upon the raja kaluve.

Premananda Shetty, councillor, asked Mayor Bhaskar K. why a scientific study of raja kaluves has not been conducted, though Rs. 30 lakh had been reserved for it earlier.

The corporation Commissioner said that the city had 12 major storm-water drains. An interim report on encroachment prepared by the Mangaluru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) has been submitted to the Deputy Commissioner. The city corporation, however, did not have a copy of it. The Deputy Commissioner has given enough time to MUDA to prepare the final report. A decision on removing encroachments would be taken after getting the final report. The Mayor said that he would call a meeting within a fortnight of officials of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), the MUDA and the corporation and others concerned to discuss issues related to drains along the highways within the jurisdiction of the corporation.