Dumb but True! Concreting Road First & Soon After Digging It for Laying UGD or Water Pipeline

Dumb but True and NOT SMART! Concreting Road First & Soon After Digging It for Laying UGD or Water Pipeline. The stretch of newly concreted road near KSRTC Bus Stand-Bejai has been dug to lay uGD pipelines, which has been going at a slow pace and putting motorists and commuters in hardships

Mangaluru: When it comes to “BAD PLANNING” in the World, Mangaluru City Corporation could be entered into the ‘Guinness Book of World Records’? And one thing for sure, you might have noticed and will agree with me is that-Digging of roads/streets/bye-lanes/foot paths will never stop in Mangaluru no matter what- and we have seen it in the past and will see it in future too. Mescom, Telephone companies, Contractors, building owners etc- they all dig the roads/streets, and footpaths without prior permission from Mangaluru City Corporation. There is no end to this- and once they dig, and after their work is done, they leave the dug-up area in a shabby condition. And no action is taken against them, either by the MCC or District Administration.

Overflowing Manhole since 15 Days near KSRTC Bus Stand-Bejai Posing Health Risks

There is absolutely no planning and no proper thinking when the projects are undertaken either by Mangaluru Smart City Ltd (MSCL) or Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC) when any road work or drainage project is planned. If the concerned engineers in both the civic bodies had common sense they would FIRST replace the UGD or leaking water pipes situated below the road, and SECONDLY concrete the road, spending tax-payers money. But here in our so-called SMART CITY-Mangaluru, it has been just the opposite, where they concrete the road FIRST when knowingly there are decades-old UGD pipes or dilapidated water pipes underneath and still carry on with the concreting work.

We have seen such unscientific works in the past in the City, where newly concreted roads are dug either by MSCL or MCC just a few weeks or months after the completion of the road work. And one main stretch of the road is the Kankanady-Valencia-Nandigudda road which has been dug several times, and still, there has been no stopping for the digging work. Not that digging of the new concrete roads are needed, but all the mud that is dug and dumped on the new road will ruin the road-and chances are that when the side of the new road is dug, there could be damage to the concrete, without any doubt.

But did the engineer, contractor or the concerned “Smart?” Do officials from the Smart City ever think of this? Absolutely not! And here we have the road stretch near KSRTC Busstand-Bejai which has been dug to lay UGD pipes after the manholes started overflowing a few weeks ago spreading stink and safety hazards in that vicinity. And now they have taken up the project by replacing the old UGD pipes with new ones spending a huge sum of money, in lakhs. Bah, humbug! For a City which has been selected as one of the “Smart Cities” of India, however, it seems like we are lacking “Smart People”, right from MCC/MSCL Officials, Engineers, Contractors, and other District authorities who are simply wasting taxpayers hard earned money on projects, which once completed have to be re-done or new roads have to be dug up to lay drainage or construct new manholes or address some water problems.

I am not lying, just look at the sad situation of this newly constructed concrete road which was done just a couple of years ago, now due to poor planning they have to dig it to lay UGD pipes. Why wasn’t the construction of the new UGD before the road was being reconstructed, is the question that many citizens would ask- but getting the right answer from the concerned authorities will be a tough one. The reason, they know that they screwed up BIG TIME? I am not against the laying of the new UGD because of the vast numbers of apartments/commercial complexes etc mushrooming in the Smart City, bigger and better UGD or water pipe lines are needed to cater to the needs of the citizens. But proper planning should be done before any such projects are taken up. If you look at all the newly constructed roads in the City, they are dug up after they are completed either for drainage pipe works, manholes etc. And this creates a lot of inconveniences for the motorists to move around these dug-up sites.

But it seems like no one cares about it- new roads are constructed, and within the next few hours or few days, they are broken to give way for a new project/work. This education hub is now like a middle-aged bachelor, with the government and MCC trying to dress him up with all sorts of cosmetics while the vital aspects are being sidelined. With half the city being dug up for one or the other reason the traffic appears to be going haywire while the pedestrians are scampering for safety. Mangaluru has a dubious reputation for being the most unsafe city for pedestrians. Nobody has investigated that, so there is no official document available for gouging the level of discomfort for the pedestrian but the way the city is dug up at present it is evident to the naked eye the violation of safety of pedestrians.

Schoolchildren, young and old folks, ladies and gentlemen are the most susceptible. They come onto the road to escape the dug-up areas endangering their safety. It is carnage out there. With the roads dug up here in there, some could claim that they have sent people to the hospital with injuries, some others would state that they have claimed lives! Even today, when there is so much conversation about road safety, and despite pedestrians being at the forefront of this conversation, many roads are not safe either due to construction or debris left after construction. Not “Smart” for an upcoming “Smart City?”