Moodubelle: Foundation stone for the vented dam laid at Ankudru

Report by Eugene Moodubelle
Pictures by Anil Alva
Bellevision Media Network

Moodubelle, 07 February 2010: The foundation stone for the vented dam to be built under the auspices of the Karnataka Government’s Minor Irrigation Department, Mangalore Division was laid by Mr. D.V. Sadananda Gowda, MP from Udupi-Chikmagalur Lok Sabha Constituency on Saturday, 6th February 2010 at 10.30 am at Ankudru in Moodubelle. The priest from Shri Madhvacharya Moola Sansthana, Padubelle, Shri Madhava Upadhyaya presided over the brief religious function and blessed the two blocks of soft stones (moora kallu) before being formally laid in a small pit symbolising the laying of the foundation for the proposed Vented dam.

Besides Mr. D.V. Sadananda Gowda, the foundation laying function was attended by Mr. Lalaji R. Mendon, MLA from the Kaup Constituency, Mr. Gerald Fernandes, President of the Social Justice Committee, Udupi Zilla Panchayat, Mr. Sashidhar Wagle, President of the Belle Grama Panchayat, Mrs. Leena Noronha, Vice President of the Belle Grama Panchayat, Mrs. Celestine Martis, Member of the Udupi Taluk Panchayat, Mr. Gangadhar Acharya and Parashuram Bhat-both members of the Belle Grama Panchayat, Mr. Vijayananda Shetty of Kundapur, the contractor of the project and a number of prominent villagers from Moodubelle, Pamboor and Kattingeri. Mr. Devdas Hebbar anchored the programme.

In their brief speeches, Mr. Sadananda Gowda and Mr. Lalaji R. Mendon emphasised on the developmental work that has been going on in the Belle Grama Panchayat area such as improvement of roads and building of vented dams. Mr. Sadananda Gowda pointed out that the laying of the foundation stone symbolised the transfer of the responsibility to the villagers who should see to it that the dam is completed in time and that the contractor uses good quality material for the construction of the dam.

Mr. Lalaji R. Mendon recalled the various developmental works that have been initiated and completed in his constituency. Mr. Gerald Fernandes while thanking Mr. Sadananda Gowda and Mr. Lalaji R. Mendon for their cooperation in getting financial assistance from the MP and MLA funds respectively and from the government for various developmental projects pointed out that by digging additional wells by both the sides of the river water can be conserved for drinking purpose that can be supplied even to far off places such as Katapadi and Innaje.

The estimated cost of the vented dam to be constructed at Ankudru is Rs.81 lakhs. The dam would be 42 metres long and 3.50 metres in height. It will be 2.40 metres wide on the top so that small vehicles such as cars and rickshaws can pass over it. There will be 17 vents each with a width of 2 metres. Once completed, the dam will have a holding capacity of over one million cubic metres of water that can be used to irrigate over 200 acres of land in Belle, Kattingeri and Shirva villages.

The contractor of this project, Mr. Vijayananda Shetty has promised that he will complete the project in 90 days. He claims that he can achieve this target by his earlier experiences in which he had completed the Kemthur Vented Dam in 75 days and the Kanaradi-Manipura Vented Dam in 40 days. The villagers of Belle and Kattingeri hope that Mr. Vijayananda Shetty will keep his promise and complete the project by the stipulated time that he himself as set as the target.