No action to allocate sites for dumping construction debris

No action to allocate sites for dumping construction debris

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangaluru, Dec 3, 2015 : MCC - Mangaluru City Corporation is making efforts to make it a ’smart city’, yet there is no headway for the plan to reserve government-identified sites for dumping construction debris.

This resulted in continued dumping of debris on the side of the highway with fresh dumping seen at Yekkur and near Karnataka Polytechnic Junction.

The corporation had identified two sites – one at Kunjathbail and another at Kannur – for the purpose sometime ago. According to  KSPCB - Karnataka State Pollution Control Board, officials the board is yet to approve the sites though the board’s local office here recommended using only the site at Kunjathbail. The site at Kannur was not suitable as it might pollute the Netravathi in the future.

Rajashekar Puranik, environment officer, KSPCB, Mangaluru, said that the proposal was sent to the head office of the board more than a month ago.

But even if the board approves the site at Kunjathbail, which is an abandoned red stone quarry, the city corporation is not prepared to use it immediately. Prakash B. Salian, chairman, Standing Committee of Public Health, Education and Social Justice said that a road leading to the site was yet to be repaired by removing some structures built by encroaching upon the government land.

A ramp facility to enable lorries to dump the waste into the quarry would have to be built. There was also a need to install closed circuit television cameras to monitor the dumping and place an earth mover for levelling the debris in the site.

Chaiman Salian blamed the officials at the corporation for not taking interest to make the proposal a reality. At one point  Salian claimed that there was no need to take the approval of the board as the abandoned quarry could be filled up as per the Deputy Commissioner’s instructions following deaths in stagnated waters reported during monsoon in other parts of the district.

He said that unless the officials in the corporation took interest, the proposal would not become a reality as elected representatives are not in the picture.