Heegu Unte, Part-I! Mangaluru – ‘SMART CITY’- What? Name it as ‘FLOATING CITY’!
Mangaluru: Beginning Today and Every Monday, Every Week, Mangalorean.com will bring to you in retrospect and in perspective, highlighting on civic issues, un-planned and incomplete projects, Traffic mayhem, Irregular roads and Drainage systems, etc etc in the so-called “SMART CITY”, but unfortunately doesn’t look like we have “SMART PEOPLE” at the helm to prove it. Looking at the recent flooding in the City, is a clear example as to how the development and infrastructure had been undertaken. Crores of Rupees were spent on restructure of drainage-but it seems like the hard earned money of taxpayers has gone down the “Drain”, when we look at the water overflowing from these newly constructed drainage, thereby flooding the City, and making the life of motorists and commuters miserable.
The idea on using the catch phrase as “Heegu Unte” stuck me, since I have been hearing those words from my friend the BIG MAN Er Jerardine D’Souza, every time “Strange Things” happen during a event or a project. So I thought why not use the same concept to my new column starting today. While the Kannada caption rhymes well and good, but I asked a few lecturers and few other educated people to translate the same into English- and this is what they sent me -” True but unbelievable”; “Strange but True”; Mysteries of the World”; “Enigmatic World”; “Wonders of the World”- whatever?
So as Part-1 of this new column named “HEEGU UNTE”, Team Mangalorean will highlight on the bad planning of the Drainage work undertaken by the Engineers and Contractors of the MCC-which led the City float? No doubt, “Smart City” turned out to be a “Floating City”? few days ago- and even now, every time there is a heavy downpour the City is flooded. So the question, every citizen asks is “What good is it have these new drainage systems, when the water is still overflowing onto to the streets, and flooding it.”. The first thing our Mayor Bhaskar Moily did was blame National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) officials for negligence in their work which resulted in water flooding the city during the recent rains near Kankanady Pumpwell, Kotttara Chowki, Padil, but never gave an proper answer for all the flooding that took place in main parts of the City-because he very well knew that it was due to the shabby and incomplete work of the so called “Engineers”, and also the contractors.
Now as the weatherman predicts that Mangaluru city and adjoining areas in Dakshina Kannada will continue to receive heavy rain in the forthcoming days, has anyone from MCC taken any action to rectify the areas where water is gushing out from the drainage, and also bad road planning. Just look at the new roads constructed recently-none of them have a proper footpath nor a proper drainage. So where do you think the rain water has to flow if there are no drainage- unfortunately, on to the road. MCC needs to coordinate and sort out the reasons for the bad work and its impact during work. The torrential rains that lashed out in city recently damaged 34 houses and caused loss to the tune of Rs 41.38 lac within the Mangaluru City Corporation limits/ This loss could have been prevented ONLY if the drainage was done accurate and systematically.
But does anyone in MCC cares for the losses, after all it was taxpayers money that was used and wasted. Prior to the rain, MCC should have cleaned all the drainages, removed the wastage, so that water could flow smoothly. But looks like that was not done. When the new roads are done neither the NHAI nor PWD officials provide any alternatives/local amenities like proper footpaths/drainages, Pedestrian crossings, over-bridges, Safety Signs etc. because they think thats not their job, nor they care about peoples safety.
Engineers, contractors and all those who were responsible for the shabby development work should be taken for task. But that’s not happening, because everyone is hand in hand, with ONLY one thing in mind, as how to make money- or call it “CORRUPT?”. Blame game should be stopped also. Citizens should regret for election leaders like these, who don’t care. MLA’s/Leaders boast about development, but what development are they taking about? The only development seen here is development of ‘Huge Money in their Pockets”. Our Engineers are only good at constructing Mega Circles-you know what I mean? That’s not development- and that’s not Smart either, Mangaluru being named as “Smart City”.
Another question we can ask is -What’s the use of implementing such new projects which result in more problems? And if problems are more than doing any good, the so called developments/infrastructures are nothing but a national waste, waste of time and energy! While undertaking new projects it should be done properly, and not anticipate problems. It is not just waste of Tax payers money, instead “Pay taxes and invite troubles” kind of thing! |And the funny part is that every monsoon season due to heavy rains, it’s the same spots that get flooded-to name a few, opposite Govt Women College-Jyothi Circle; near KMC-Attavara; near City Centre Mall; Kankanady Pumpwell; Bunder, among others.
Another problems is that due to building construction works every where in the City, there is no proper path for water to flow- and MCC has done nothing to take action against such builders, because here too money counts- or call it “Corruption?” So when builders bribe officials, citizens safety issues are neglected. If most of the available land is taken away by builders to build buildings, then roads are the only spaces where water gets stranded and flooded. Also just look at the new drainage in the City – many have a starting point but no proper end- some drainages have openings in the middle, where water flows onto to the streets. Not Smart!
So in conclusion, even as many parts of the city reeled under heavy floods due to torrential downpour on account of depression over Arabian Sea, and people are still fighting to come to terms with the loss of property, people and other things due to flood-like situation, chances are that shortly they have to face another critical situation, because monsoon has just started, and still there are few more months of bad rainy weather the City may get lashed with. But have the concerned authorities rectified the faulty development issues or have they taken any preventive measures in seeing that the City won’t experience the same havoc of flooding it saw on 29 May 2018. Let it not happen again, until then let’s keep our fingers crossed. After all we live in “SMART CITY” with “NO SMART PEOPLE” to take care of it?
A very good initiative by Team Mangalorean. Please highlight all issues created by MCC. People pay TAX to get better service but look like the TAX payers money is looted by the MCC engineers and corporators? What is the use of paying TAX when we are not getting basic infrastructure?
Praiseworthy initiative and concept. A week is too long in politics , they say. & Public memory is shorter than an sms. Hence, I am happy that the story is kept prominently displayed for the entire week. Kudos to Alfie & Team Mangalorean. Every Monday and every week , reminder!