MANGALURU: The issue of Rajakaluve (
storm water drains) encroachment in Mangaluru city created ruckus in
Mangaluru City Corporation (
MCC) council meet held on Thursday.
When Mayor K Bhaskar Moily commenced his first council meet, corporators from opposition BJP and ruling Congress blamed the city corporation for the artificial floods that left the city in shambles on May 29. MCC commissioner Mohammed Nazeer pacified the angry corporators by promising that the ULB will conduct aerial survey using drones to document the number of rajakaluves, roads, properties and other details. At present, there are 12 rajakaluves in the city, he said adding that action will be taken against encroachers based on the report of a committee set up by the district administration.
Nazeer said the city corporation will direct individuals and institutions to clear encroached rajakaluves in the city. “Soon after the May 29 flood, the district administration set up an inquiry committee and it has submitted an interim report. The committee has sought more time to complete the survey. We will initiate action to reclaim all rajakaluve encroachments based on the final report of the committee,” the commissioner said.
In the meantime, the city corporation also has plans to conduct an aerial survey using drones, he said. “We have already conducted a drone survey on a pilot basis in 3 kms radius near deputy commissioner’s office and Nehru Maidan. If the city corporation approves the proposal, the drone survey to ascertain properties, rajakaluves, drainages, roads, streetlights and other details will be taken up in all the 60 wards,” he said adding that conducting drone survey may cost Rs 30,000 per square kilometer.
Further, he said, data available with the Urban Property Ownership Records (UPOR) project of the department of Survey Settlement and Land Records will also obtained to find more details. A request letter in this regard was sent to the department. Similarly,
engineers of MCC will conduct survey on their own and prepare reports.