B. Hariprasad Rai, Managing Trustee of Prasanna Ganapati Temple, said on Wednesday that some persons were dumping lot of soil, garbage and used materials near the ground of Mannu Palla lake in Manipal.
Addressing presspersons here, Mr. Rai said that the lake and its surrounding area located on 100 acres was a picturesque place. There were a lot of trees around the lake. People went for a walk both in the morning and evening around the lake on the walking track constructed by the district administration.
The district administration had been developing the lake as a major recreation spot. But some persons were bringing and dumping soil along with the garbage in the ground close to the Mannu Palla lake for the last 20-30 days.
He and other residents of the area had brought the matter to the notice of the local councillor and the officials. “We met Deputy Commissioner Muddu Mohan on April 29, he had telephoned the Commissioner of Udupi City Municipal Commissioner Srikanth Rao and told him to take action on the issue,” he said.
Mr. Rai said that there were four residential layouts in the area and nearly 1,000 houses. The residents of the area wanted the beauty of the lake and its surroundings to be maintained. They did not want any garbage dumping spot to be come up near the lake. “If no action is taken by the authorities on this matter in three days, the residents of the area would launch an agitation,” he said.
Commissioner’s reactionMr. Rao told The Hindu that he had directed the health inspector of the area Anand to conduct random visits to Mannu Palla area. “If any person or truck was found dumping garbage, soil or other materials, he has been told to take legal action against them and even lodge a police complaint. We are taking the matter seriously,” he said.
