The process to give a new lease of life to a large tank now filled with vegetation at Kulashekara here began on Tuesday when its rejuvenation work was initiated by Mangalore Urban Development Authority (MUDA).
Mangaluru South MLA D. Vedavyas Kamath laid the foundation stone for the tank rejuvenation work in the presence of Mayor Premananda Shetty, MUDA Chairman Ravishankar Mijar and others.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Kamath said that the tank has been in disuse for about six decades and is in a state of neglect. Quoting elders in Kulashekara as saying, he said the the Utsava Murty of the Veeranarayana Temple in the region used to be brought to the tank for the Avabhrita Snana during the temple’s annual festival.
With a view to rejuvenating water bodies in and around Mangaluru, work has started with funds from MUDA, Mr. Kamath said. The works include clearing vegetation, removing silt from the tank and constructing a walking path surrounding it.
Mr. Mijar said that many tanks and water bodies in Mangaluru have been in a state of neglect for years. Mr. Kamath has plans to give a new lease of life to all these water bodies, he said and added that MUDA agreed to support the initiative taken to rejuvenate Kulashekara tank in the interest of public good. The authority will foot the bill for the tank’s complete rejuvenation and development, he said.
Corporation Standing Committees chiefs Sandeep Garodi and Leelavathi Prakash, Chief Whip in the corporation council Sudhir Shetty Kannur, councillors and others were present.