Residents in Kannur complain of flooding

‘Earth dumped on the side while widening NH 48 may have blocked culvert'

SETTING THINGS RIGHT: Corporation workers draining out water using a pump to repair an underground water supply line that was submerged in Kannur on Wednesday. Photo: R. Eswarraj

“Please save our houses from being submerged,” was the appeal made by residents of Ballur area in Kannur to Commissioner of the Mangalore City Corporation K.N. Vijayaprakash during his visit there on Wednesday.

A resident, Hemavathi, told the Commissioner that her house would get flooded unless the corporation took immediate steps to drain out water.

The Commissioner visited the area following complaints of flooding in Kannur.

Sudhir Shetty, councillor representing Kannur ward, who is also Chairman of the Standing Committee for Town Planning and Improvement, said that when National Highway 48 was being widened, the earth dumped on the side may have blocked the culvert below the highway. He said that it was not immediately clear who was responsible.

The corporation officials had contacted the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) authorities and brought it to their notice.

Inspected

Mr. Shetty told The Hindu in the evening that NHAI and IRCON officials visited the area in the evening. Deputy Commissioner V. Ponnuraj also inspected the spot.

Basavarajappa, consultant, NHAI, told The Hindu that the culvert was not blocked while widening the highway. The flooding was the result of earth being dumped by some private parties on the side of the highway.

Mr. Shetty said that the corporation pressed an earthmover into service late on Wednesday to make a channel on one side of the highway to drain out water towards the Netravati.

An underground water supply line which was damaged and submerged at Kannur was repaired after corporation workers drained out the water using a pump.

Earlier in the day, Mr. Vijayaprakash visited Shivapadavu Road near Kulashekara where a portion of the road was washed away owing to rain. He also instructed officials to construct the retaining wall again.

Telecom tower falls

The Commissioner also visited Borugudde near Kannur where the telecom tower of a private mobile service provider had fallen on a house belonging to one Mohammed Iqbal on Tuesday. There were no casualties.

Representatives of the company were also present.

A few residents of the colony told the Commissioner that the tower had been erected on private land, which was in dispute.