The issue of clearing silt from stormwater drains dominated the general body meeting of the Udupi City Municipal Council (CMC) here on Monday.
Jayananda, councillor, said that the removal of silt from the stormwater drains had not been taken up in the 18 municipal wards on the outskirts of the city, even as the monsoon was likely to set in in a week. The repair of roads had not been taken up. The condition of roads would become worse during the rainy season, he said.
It was not enough if the removal of silt was taken up in the wards lying in the heart of the city. As many as 18 wards were on the outskirts and they too should be given equal importance, he said.
Amrita Krishnamurthy and Anandi said that removal of silt from the drains along the narrow roads in some wards had to be done manually. Earthmovers were helpful only on broad roads, they said.
Meenakshi Bannanje said that removal of silt from the Kalmady rivulet should be taken up. Dirty water had got accumulated in the Kalmady vented dam, she said.
CMC president Dinakar Shetty said that priority had been given to removal of silt from the Kalsank stormwater drain, as most of the rainwater flowed through that drain. The removal of silt from the stormwater drains between the Sharada Mantapa and Kalsank and in the Badagabettu are had been completed.
Work was under way on the drains between Sharada Hotel bypass and Kodavoor. The removal of silt from the drains in other wards of the city too was under way, he said.
Drinking water
When councillor M.R. Pai sought to know about the drinking water position, CMC Commissioner Gokuldas Nayak said that water in the Baje and Shiroor vented dams would last for a month. Mr. Shetty said that the CMC was planning to build a new dam across Swarna river as the demand for drinking water was expected to increase in the coming years. Councillor Naveen Bhandari wanted to know why parking of vehicles was allowed on the stretch between the Diana Circle and service bus-stand road and disallowed on the Taluk Office-Diana Circle Road stretch. Mr. Shetty said that the matter had been taken up with the Regional Transport Authority and the Traffic Police. Councillor Panduranga Malpe said that trucks carrying fish should not be allowed to drop the wastewater along the road at Malpe. This had made the stretch jittery and resulted in a lot of accidents happening there, involving motorcycles.
