Mayor Kavita Sanil on Sunday alleged that the pollution of the Phalguni downstream of the Malavoor vented dam was due to industrial discharge from Mangaluru Special Economic Zone area on the Kenjar side.
Speaking to presspersons, she said that she had reliable information about it. “The discharge happens between 3 a.m. and 4 a.m.,” she added.
The Mayor alleged that the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) officials in Mangaluru were protecting such industries. Instead of booking such industries, the board was shifting the blame on the city corporation suspecting that it was due to the overflow of sewage from the two wet wells of the corporation.
The Mayor, who is an ex-officio member of the board, said that she was challenging the board to prove that the pollution was due to the overflow of the sewage from the wet wells of the corporation.
Ms. Sanil said that the board should take action against those who are responsible for the pollution. She also took the board officials to task for casting aspersions on the corporation.
The Mayor said that people should not be misled that the corporation was responsible for the pollution.
However, Rajashekar Puranik, Environment Officer of the board, told the Mayor that the board had never blamed the corporation for it.
