The Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC) council on Friday constituted a committee to look into who was responsible for not filling up potholes on the main roads on which chariots of three prominent temples in city were pulled during the just-concluded Navaratri celebrations.
Mayor Harinath asked the committee members to submit a report on the same within a week. He said that the corporation would take action against the officials responsible based on the report. Lancelot Pinto, chairman of the Standing Committee for Town Planning and Improvement, Premananda Shetty, a BJP councillor, and Srinivas, Deputy Commissioner (Development), will be members of the committee.
Earlier, J.R. Lobo, MLA, Mangaluru City South, who raised the matter, told the council that Dasara was an important celebration in the city. But potholes on main roads on which the chariots of Mangaladevi (Bolara), Mariyamma (Urwa) and Venkatramana (car street) were pulled were not filled up before the car festival. This is notwithstanding clear instruction to corporation officials to get those roads ready for the activities. “With this, the honour of the corporation is at stake,” said Mr. Lobo. He asked how the corporation can face people if it cannot get roads ready for important occasions.
‘Directions were given’
Mr. Harinath said he and the Commissioner had held a meeting on this one month in advance and had given instructions to the engineers to fill up the potholes.
Mr. Premananda Shetty alleged that a contractor had begun filling up potholes in Mangaladevi area before the car festival but had abandoned the work midway.
In his response, Gururaja Maralihalli, executive engineer of the corporation, said as it was raining it was not possible to fill up all the potholes by asphalting. They were filled up using wet mix, he said.
Roopa D. Bangera, leader of the opposition in the council, alleged that potholes on many interior roads in the city have not been filled up.
Meanwhile, the Mayor told the council that water would be arrested at Thumbe vented dam, supplying drinking water to the city from first week of November after closing the vents.
