Residents worried over dumping of waste near Mannu Palla

 

Udupi, 28 Jun 2014 (The Hindu): B. Hariprasad Rai, managing trustee of Prasanna Ganapati Temple, said on Tuesday that truckloads of soil, garbage and used materials were being dumped near the Mannu Palla lake in Manipal.

 

He told presspersons here that the district administration was trying to promote the lake as a picnic spot. The 60-acre Mannu Palla lake was surrounded by 40 acres of land which had lot of trees. There was a walking track around the lake and senior citizens used in the mornings and evenings. There was a playground nearby for children. Also, there were residential layouts in the area.

 

Mr. Rai said four truckloads of dirt had been dumped on four spots in the last few days. When he enquired with a lorry driver, he told Mr. Rai that the garbage was being brought under instructions from Nirmiti Kendra, which is located close to the lake. “The garbage could mix with rain water and block storm water drains in the area,” he said.

 

 

An illegal construction was also coming up in a deemed forest area near the lake. But neither the Department of Forests nor the Nirmiti Kendra, a government agency, had objected to the illegal construction. Even the district administration did not know about this. He had brought the matter to the notice of Deputy Commissioner Muddu Mohan.

 

‘No instruction’

 

Arun Kumar, project director, Nirmiti Kendra, told The Hindu that he had not instructed anyone to dump garbage there. “If there is any illegal construction going on there, Mr. Rai should take it up with the CMC, we have no role in it,” he said.

 

Srikant Rao, CMC Commissioner, said that nobody had so far complained to him about the garbage or encroachment. “I will look into the matter and take action,” he said.

 

Prakash Poojary, Range Forest Officer, said that the said land was in deemed forests list, but in RTC records, it was still with Revenue Department. “Until the Revenue Department identifies and hands it over to us, we cannot do anything,” he added.