City corporators out of confidence over ADB project

City corporators out of confidence over ADB project

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangaluru: Addressing reporters here on Friday, corporator Sudheer Shetty said that amid objections raised by the Opposition members of the Council of the Mangaluru City Corporation, the approval has been given for ADB-funded UGD works worth Rs 195 crore, drinking water projects worth Rs 218 crore, Rs 33.25 crore under AMRUT scheme and Rs 40 crore under Smart City project. BJP corporators have alleged that the second phase of ADB-funded project of drinking water supply and UGD works are being taken up without taking the corporators into confidence and furnishing complete details on the projects.


He alleged that a detailed project report for the second phase of the work has been prepared to divert attention of citizens from the “irregularities” in the first phase of the ADB-funded project works. In the first phase, drinking water projects worth Rs 106.319 crore was taken up keeping in mind the population of Mangaluru in 2026 to supply water round the clock. Though the project was completed in 2013, it has failed to supply water round the clock. Wards like Mangaladevi, Jeppu, Hoige Bazar, Kankanady, Jeppinamogaru, Alape, Bajal and Kannur face shortage of drinking water soon after monsoon ends. Now, the DPR for second phase of the project is being prepared keeping in mind the population of Mangaluru city in 2046.

Sudheer Shetty said that the DPR does not include laying of main pipeline to supply 80 MLD additional water from Thumbe to Padil, water purification unit at Thumbe and 1.20 lakh capacity storage tank as well. It has included water purification unit at Adyar for 2MGD pipeline, to supply water to rural areas. Additional 10 MLD water from here will be supplied to Mangaluru city. No project plan has been chalked out to get additional water to Mangaluru under the second phase of the ADB-funded project.

In fact, Mangaluru city gets an average of 160 MLD of water from its vented dam in Thumbe every day. However, due to illegal water connections and loopholes in the water distribution system, the entire pumped water failed to reach its citizens. Further, he said that the ADB loan is expensive. Due to the financial indiscipline of the Mangaluru City Corporation, the loan borrowed in the first phase of the project is yet to be repaid. According to KUIDFC, the loan borrowed for drinking water project in the first phase is Rs 176,41,37,401, the accumulated interest on the loan is Rs 326,25,04,577. The amount pending to be repaid as on September 30, 2017 is Rs 502,66,41,978. He said Minister for Urban Development Roshan Baig had promised to hand over the case of faulty underground sewage network laid in Surathkal by drawing a loan from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to CID to probe. He also urged the minister to conduct a review on the second phase of the ADB funded project and ensure that the project is implemented without any illegalities.