Mangaluru City Corporation to appoint adviser to help manage underground drainage infrastructure
Mangaluru: Mangaluru City Corporation council in its meeting on July 28 decided to appoint a technical adviser to help manage its underground drainage (UGD) infrastructure.
The adviser will work like a third party inspecting agency, according to an agenda placed in the council.
Some councillors in the earlier meetings had demanded to have a technical consultant for better management of ongoing UGD projects and maintenance of infrastructure created as they required special attention to avoid many problems being generated from the UGD properties, including distribution lines, manholes, wet wells, and sewage treatment plants.
The agenda put the total network of UGD pipelines in the city at 769 km with 26,815 manholes. Of them, 169 km-long pipeline network was laid in 1970s with 4,000 manholes in old Mangaluru area. Later 245 km-long network with 8,000 manholes were built in the second stage. In the third phase since 2009, another 355 km-long network with 14,8154 manholes were added.
Council Whip and former Mayor Premananda Shetty told the council that matters pertaining to the scope of work of the adviser will be placed as an agenda in the next meeting.
The council decided to send its proposal to name the main road from the Kadri Circuit House to Bejai Church Circle after former Union minister and labour leader George Fernandes, for the approval of the government.
It decided to include four police personnel to the task force of the civic body meant for evicting unauthorised street vendors.
Former Mayor and Congress councillor M. Shashidhar Hegde told the council that only 25% of the permanent sanctioned staff posts in the corporation has been filled as per the cadre and recruitment rules. Lack of staff is hampering the functioning of the civic body. Of 45 bill collectors required, the corporation has got only five collectors. It has got only four revenue inspectors against 12 sanctioned posts and there are no meter inspectors though the civic body has six sanctioned posts.
Leader of the Opposition in the council Naveen R. D’Souza demanded White Paper on sold waste management. Commissioner of the corporation C.L. Anand was present.
