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The Hindu
6 days ago
- Business
- The Hindu
Lack of coordination between Railways and Smart City delayed twin RuB commissioning: Chowta
Dakshina Kannada MP Captain Brijesh Chowta told officials of Mangaluru Smart City Ltd. and the Southern Railway to work in coordination to commission the twin Railway Underbridges (RuBs) on Morgan's Gate-Jeppinamogaru Road at Mahakalipadpu in the city. Visiting the worksite with Mangaluru City South MLA D. Vedavyasa Kamath on Wednesday, Capt. Chowta said the delay in completing the project appeared to have been caused by the absence of coordination between the Railways and the MSCL. Even though the Railways pushed the concrete boxes for the RuB, concreting of the underpasses and approach roads could not be completed, he regretted. Meanwhile, Smart City officials blamed untimely rains for the delay in commissioning the RuBs and said that water stagnation in the underpass was hindering the completion of the approach roads. Railways has to lay a pipeline to pump and drain out stagnant water towards the Netravathi, after which the approach roads could be completed, they said. Notwithstanding these claims, the officials promised to open at least one carriageway of the underpass for traffic by July 15. The Hindu had reported on June 2 about the opening of the RuBs, work on which had started in March 2021, getting stalled and thereby forcing people to endure the inconvenience indefinitely. The then MP Nalin Kumar Kateel and Mr. Kamath had laid the foundation stone for the twin RuB project under 'deposit' scheme with the MSCL depositing ₹30.7 crore for the RuBs with the Railways, and the MP getting ₹19.87 crore from the MPLAD funds for the construction of the 1.07 km four-lane road. The work did not gain momentum for nearly a year thereafter and picked up only after December 2022, when the Railways closed the Mahakalipadpu Railway Level Crossing to all vehicles, except two-wheelers.
The Hindu
10-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Karnataka CM to inaugurate new district office complex and indoor stadium in Mangaluru on May 16: Dinesh Gundu Rao
Dakshina Kannada district in-charge Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao on Saturday (May 10, 2025) said Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will inaugurate the new district office complex at Padil and the state-of-the-art indoor stadium at Urva on May 16. Speaking to reporters after a meeting to review the preparations for the two events here, Mr. Rao said the new district office complex was expected to significantly improve delivery of government services to people. It was also expected to streamline the administration by bringing important district-level offices under one roof, the Minister said. During the formal inaugural programme, Mr. Siddaramaiah would distribute record of tenancy certificates (RTCs) to over 7,000 beneficiaries under the 'Phodi-Mukta Abhiyana' being undertaken in the district to set right land records pertaining to darkasth lands, he added. Enabling citizen-centric service Mr. Rao noted that the foundation stone for the district office complex was laid by Mr. Siddaramaiah when he was the chief minister during his first term. While the complex, estimated to cost ₹55 crore, should have been inaugurated long ago, its construction got delayed entailing an additional expenditure of ₹20 crore. The additional expenditure was borne by Mangaluru Smart City Ltd., he added. The Minister said the new complex reflects government's commitment towards efficient service delivery and citizen-centric service. The complex would accommodate 23 departments under one roof, he said. Promoting sports culture Mr. Rao said the Urva indoor stadium built at a cost of ₹35 crore by MSCL, was equipped with modern facilities to conduct various sports and indoor events. The stadium was expected to promote sports culture and provide quality training infrastructure to local talent, he said. Identified offices would be shifted to the new district office complex the day after the inauguration and the process will be completed within about three weeks. Mr. Siddaramaiah was also expected to launch several development programmes for Ullal taluk during his visit. However, Mangaluru MLA and Legislative Assembly Speaker U.T. Khader wanted to move the event to some other day, Mr. Rao added. MLCs Ivan D'Souza, S.L. Boje Gowda and others were present at the press conference.
The Hindu
23-04-2025
- General
- The Hindu
Mangaluru: With non-functional fountain aerators, Gujjarakere stinks again while fishes die
With the five fountain aerators installed by Mangaluru Smart City Ltd., in July 2022 to oxygenate the water body and remove dissolved organic compounds becoming non-functional, the historic Gujjarakere has begun to stink again even as Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC) has failed to plug sewage seepage into the lake in the heart of the City. While hundreds of people visit the lake for morning and evening walks, they were upset at having to inhale the stench, said Praveen Bappal, a resident of the area. 'Of late, fishes in the lake have been dying apparently because of the reduced oxygen levels and increased dissolved oxygen content. Local residents have been removing dead fish along with other trash sometimes these days,' he said. MCC failure Gujjarakere Tirtha Samrakshana Samithi Secretary Nemu Kottari squarely blamed the MCC for its inability to plug the sewage flow into the lake. Several complaints to authorities concerned, laboratory reports that indicate the lake water being contaminated with sewage and even public outcry did not have any impact on the Corporation to address the issue, he regretted. MSCL installed the fountain aerators to oxygenate the water body. When water was pumped through the fountains, water droplets collected air from the environment and fell back into the Lake. The round-the-clock process oxygenated the water body besides removing dissolved organic compounds. The fountain aerators with colourful lights added beauty to the lake in the evenings. 'We have not seen the aerators working after Navaratri festival,' said Kusuma Devadiga, a resident of the area. The water appeared fresh even as colourful lights in the evenings used to enhance the lake's beauty, she said. Handed over to MCC After rejuvenating the lake in March 2022, MSCL handed it over to the MCC, said a senior Smart City official. MSCL has impounded about ₹1.5 lakh security deposit from the contractor for his failure to properly operate the fountains. The same would be handed over to the MCC to undertake repair works, he said. MCC Commissioner Ravichandra Naik said he was not aware of fountain aerators going dysfunctional. He would look into the issue, the Commissioner said.
