Mission Statement and Guidelines Related to Mangaluru Smart City Ltd Projects

Mission Statement and Guidelines Related to Mangaluru Smart City Ltd Projects

Mangaluru: Mangaluru Smart City Limited – MSCL is one of the smart cities under Smart Cities Mission where project work to the tune of crores of rupees are executed, with regards to which the following points need clarifications;

– As per Smart Cities Mission Statement and Guidelines, City Level Advisory Forum must have NGO and RWA representatives. However despite several related requests, inclusive of district minister’s instructions the representations are intentionally and deliberately neglected, leading to crores in misuse of taxpayers money, particularly during this pandemic period. Project works are taken up in blatant violation of the guidelines, regardless of NGO and RWA requests for consultation. NGO and RWA representatives are not found in the City Level Advisory Forum. Activities of Mangaluru Smart City Limited fail to comply with the declared guidelines.

– The identified 21 priority works listed in the guidelines inclusive of- Water Supply leakage (preventive/ remedial) measures; Sanitation- waste to gas and waste to manure; UGD maintenance; Parks and Playgrounds, etc are ignored and some unimportant works are taken up without NGO and RWA suggestions, due to which lot of mistakes and doubts are observed.

Consultations with NGO and RWA intentionally and deliberately ignored is illustrated as follows:

– 2.25 MGD water plant is upgraded to 20 MLD and out of 20 MLD, 10 MLD to villages on the periphery and 10 MLD to Mangaluru City Corporation. Zilla Panchayats of the said villages are not consulted as per government orders for multi-village water supply. The latter 10 MLD treated water is proposed to be added to the existing 80 MLD treatment plant and how this water conveyed to Mangaluru City lacks clarity.

– In place of 350 HP pump sets, 450 HP pump sets and in place of 650 HP pump sets, 750 HP pump sets are proposed without technical feasibility.

The treated effluent sludge water is again proposed to be treated and the purpose, cost, use, etc needs clarity.

Instead of low-cost mechanical water meters, high-cost jet water meters are proposed without proper operation and maintenance plan.

– UGD works are also done by Karnataka Urban Infrastructure Development and Finance Corporation (KUIDFC), leading to repeated works.

In UGD estimates, large quantities of granite excavations are shown leading to doubt as to whether trial pits are taken up or not. Flowmeter costing Rs 17,59,816 for one and Rs 3,35,502 for another is proposed in UGD network, the necessity of which needs to be explained. 80 HP pump set is proposed for dewatering and the same is measured in running meters. O&M plan for maintenance of UGD and control measures to stop overflow from networks are not explained.

-Development of playgrounds, parks, etc completely ignored needs action on priority. Recently High Court of Karnataka in Bengaluru stayed the construction of temporary retail shops for central market retailers in Nehru Maidan which is conditioned for sports and recreation to the people of Mangalore.

– Concrete roads and drains are built before utilities such as water supply, provisioning ducts, etc are provided for, resulting in breakage and re-doing repeatedly.

You are requested to conduct a departmental enquiry, from issuing specific orders for compliance of the guidelines for due citizen consultation to the execution of project work in compliance with the guidelines. You are also requested to take disciplinary action against such officials in Mangaluru Smart City Limited – MSCL for dereliction of duty by disobeying government orders.

MD of Mangaluru Smart City Limited – MSCL informs that they are not attending to Water Supply and UGD work. It is informed that SPV will work only as per advisors instruction and not as per guidelines. They have appointed legal advisors and a financial advisor in the City Level Advisory Forum, but no NGO and RWA.

These legal and financial advisors and our elected representatives must address and clarify our doubts translating into irregularity and misuse of taxpayer money.

Thank you.

– MCC Civic Group, Mangaluru

Note: Individual e-mail addressed to Rahul Kapoor, Director and to Kunal Kumar, Joint Secretary, Smart Cities Mission, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India.