Not Smart! Constructing New Drainage near Bejai with Cables still Lying Beneath
Mangaluru: One will surely agree with me is that every project undertaken in the Smart City developmental projects, none of them are planned accordingly and systematically by the so-called ‘Smart Engineers/Contractors” and not forgetting the “Smart MCC Officials”. If a person was smart enough, he wouldn’t let the laborers dig the ground to construct a drainage, without a precise blueprint of what lay below the surface. And once they start digging, they will find a bunch of optical fibre cables (OFC) ducts, telephone cables and what not?
But the worst part is that, even after finding all these cables lying underneath, the work still carries on- and one of the many reasons Mangaluru city roads get flooded after even a short spell of rain, is that drains are often blocked by these cables. In spite of several complaints, as the cables choke the drains during rain and cause flooding, no one gives a damn. And one such work that is going on, of construction of new drainage stretch is opposite to Bejai Church Hall, adjacent to the new MCC Bejai market. Chances are that these OFC ducts, cables and extension boxes might have been illegally fixed in MCC’s shoulder drains.
And even though permission is taken for laying cables, but instead ducts, which can carry four to five cables, are laid. Some ducts are empty, as companies plan to use them for future commercial operations without seeking MCC permission again. Service providers have rented out their OFC network to IT companies, earning considerable rent. However, only a few might have taken permission from the MCC for their activities. In spite of a bunch of these cables on the path of the drainage work that is going on, a portion of the stretch is already done and covered with concrete slabs- but cables/pipes still lying beneath it.
And also at two or three spots on the stretch of this drainage work, you’ll find the existing manholes- which will block the flow of water, which may eventually shoot up on to the streets. The space allowed at these manhole spots for the flow of water is not quite big enough ( see photos), and when the drain water comes gushing and reaches the manhole spot, it will surely rise up and flow on to the road. Do you that’s a SMART Planning when it comes in making Mangaluru a “Smart City?”
These manholes on the path of the flowing drain water will surely result in water spew out
Now that the heavy rainy season has slowed down a bit, come next monsoon season, when all the water along with dirt, leaves, garbage etc gets flown through this newly constructed drainage near Bejai, residents in that locality will be surprised to see water oozing out of the drainage due to the chocking of the cables, along with garbage etc. Guess who was responsible for the clogged sanitary pipeline that allowed sewage to spew out, leaving your street stinking this monsoon? The private optic fibre cable (OFC) laying companies who laid cables inside the sanitary pipelines, choking the flow of drain/sewage. And even after finding these cables, our Smart Officials are still going ahead in constructing the drainage is something to be laughed at or could even make you cry, because they are using your hard earned taxpayers money.
Even though drainage is covered with concrete slabs, but Cables are still lying beneath
Team Mangalorean would like to thank the ardent Mangalorean.com reader, the “SMART NRI” Engineer from USA having 45 years experience in the civil and electrical field in Chicago suburbs, Joe D’Souza of Kadri-Mangaluru, for bringing this issue to our knowledge. Citizens like Joe only can bring a change in the City, by highlighting civic issues like these, so that Team Mangalorean can expose it. If you too have any civic issues in your area, bring them to our notice, and we publicize it. Thank You, Joe!
