Rain damage estimate, Rs. 61 crores

Mangaluru: According to Mohammed Nazir, Commissioner, Mangaluru City Corporation, the city is being battered by heavy rains since last month and the total damage inflicted on public property amounts to 61 crore rupees. The public property that has sustained damage include roads, footpaths, drains, interlock pavements, underground sewage network, compound walls and others.

According to a draft report of the corporation, the damage has now been estimated at Rs. 61 crore. However, after the final assessment, the amount could go up. The on-going assessment would be completed within the next three days.

The corporation has sent a proposal to the Deputy Commissioner to sanction Rs. 11 crore as compensation for victims who lost their homes and whose property was damaged by the rains. During the meeting, several councillors expressed concern over the encroachment of the major storm-water drains in the city.

The width of the major storm drain in Kannur has now shrunk from 100ft to 30 ft due to encroachment, pointed otu Sudhir Shetty Kannur, a councillor. The major storm drain in Kulur has been encroached upon and that an engineering college at Kulur has encroached upon the major storm drain, said councillors Dayananda Shetty and Harish Shetty.

MCC commissioner said that the city had 12 major storm-water drains. An interim report on encroachment prepared by the Mangaluru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) has been submitted to the Deputy Commissioner, but the city corporation does not have its copy. MUDA has been given enough time by the DC for submission of the final report.  A decision on removing encroachments would be taken after getting the final report.

A meeting would be called within a fortnight for officials of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), the MUDA, the corporation and others concerned to discuss issues related to drains along the highways within the jurisdiction of the corporation, informed the mayor.