‘Stop Using Water for Construction’ – Anwar Manipady
‘Stop Using Water for Construction’- said Former Chairman of Karnataka Minority Commission Anwar Manipady speaking to Mangalorean.com after he noticed water being used enormously at construction sites all the way from Kulur to Jokatte. He said, ” DC AB Ibrahim is doing a good job by putting restrictions on water usage at building construction sites, but no one is following his orders. He needs to follow up on his decisions and take strict actions against those disobeying his orders. If water is used in large scale at these upcoming multi-storied buildings, then people will be suffering without water”.
Mangaluru: This seems like ” We don’t practice what we preach” or “We don’t follow up what was ordered by DC” – In spite of Deputy Commissioner A.B. Ibrahim on Wednesday directing the Mangaluru City Corporation to ensure that all major construction activities in the city be stopped till May 31, a decision that has been taken to save water being used for construction activities- but it has come to the notice of many citizens that water is being in large quantity at many construction sites in the city and beyond. At a meeting to review the water crisis in the city, the DC had warned that no construction activities of new apartments and other multi-storeyed buildings should continue till May 31. However, construction of small residential buildings could go on.
In the meantime, the district magistrate has also said that though earlier he had instructed the corporation to ensure that major construction activities stopped till water supply returned to normalcy the civic body has failed to check it. At one point, DC Ibrahim asked K.N. Gopalakrishna, commissioner, MCC, to send a proposal seeking to close all hostels of students in the city and declare a holiday for educational institutions. During the a corporation official had said that currently the corporation was drawing water from 174 bore wells in the city for distribution. Of 29 places identified for drilling borewells, 17 have been drilled. But many construction workers are not abiding by the orders put forth by the DC.
In the meantime, after coming back to the city after a fortnight of a gruelling campaign for the party in Kerala Election, Former Chairman of Karnataka Minority Commission, Anwar Manippady was furious at the mismanagement of water situation in DK and Udupi. Manipady who has hogged the national limelight for his explosive report on the Wakf property, which is popularly known as “Manippady Report” was upset at the way in which the construction was still being carried out despite the administration clearly ordering embargo on all major construction activities, other than construction of small houses.
When Manipady, who took a sortie of the city to assess the situation on the ground was particularly annoyed by the way in which construction being was carried out in the entire stretch from Kulur to Jokatte and beyond deploying monstrous equipment and using potable water while rest of the city was reeling under water shortage. Speaking to Mangalorean.com, Anwar said, “Unless the industries realize and respond to this situation, the citizenry would be justifiably upset with the irresponsible attitude of the corporate by using water which otherwise could be used for quenching the thirst of citizens in many pockets of the city. If the DC is issuing all these restrictions and orders to the construction workers to stop using water for their building purposes, he should also follow up and see that his orders have been followed. Just like his orders to stop sand mining, but sand mining activities is still going on a big scale. Without wasting any more time, DC and the district authorities should look into this water crisis very seriously, and punish all those who are still using water in large quantity at construction sites”.
Well said by Anwar Manipady – let’s hope that the District administration will follow up on this issue and bring under control and stop the usage of water at construction sites.
It is time to stop building these ugly monsters in Mangalore. Our city has lost the character and beauty it had few decades ago. I still remember reading Arvind Adiga in the Time Magazine in the early nineties where he had shared his concern about the rapid metamorphosis of Mangalore.