Switching agencies delay drain cleaning

The Hindu

Mangalore, 31 July 2011: One agency came and removed the slabs, while another removed the silt from the drain. The third agency came and took away the silt. “We are waiting for the fourth agency to put the slabs over the drain,” Raghava, shopkeeper, said this on Thursday while commenting on the work to remove silt from the drain between the Girias showroom and the City Centre Mall on K.S. Rao Road.

 

Mr. Raghava is among the many affected by the work as the drain has remained open for nearly three weeks on this busy road. This 200 metre-stretch of open drain, which also served as a pavement, has forced people to walk on the road. “A few days ago, a pedestrian was hit by an autorickshaw,” said Jagadish, who runs a canteen on the road. “Officials are aware of the problem here. But they are yet to act,” Mr. Raghava said.

 

In early July, the Mangalore City Corporation (MCC) began removing the silt from the drain between Hampankatta Circle and the City Centre Mall. Jagadish, another shopkeeper, said the MCC personnel did not executive the work in a systematic way. “They just opened the drain at regular intervals on this long stretch and took their own time to remove the silt. Though we opposed it, they went ahead with the work,” he added. As a result, many slabs had been put on this busy road.

 

 

Expressing concern over the delay in covering the drain, Kamalaksha, who works in a hotel on K.S. Rao Road, said: “I only fear the possibility of pedestrians falling into the drain when it overflows. Two years ago, a person fell into the drain that was open.” The cement slabs kept on the road are causing traffic snarls between the mall and the showroom. “If any car or a four-wheeler breaks down here, traffic gets disrupted,” Mr. Raghava said.

 

He said his business suffered as not many people were willing to cross the open drain and come to his shop. Some shopkeepers polled in resources to cover the drain in front of their shops. The police said they had intimated the corporation about the problems. “I will take it up with the corporation authorities once again,” Deputy Commissioner of Police D. Dharmaiah said.