Gopalakrishna takes charge as MCC Commissioner

Mangaluru, Sep 4: HN Gopalakrishna, a Karnataka Administrative Service (KAS) officer, took charge as the Commissioner of Mangaluru City Corporation on Friday.

He was earlier the Additional Deputy Commissioner of Hassan. Mr. Gopalakrishna replaced Hephsiba Rani Korlapati, an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer, who was transferred on June 12, 2015. Later, the post of Commissioner remained vacant.

The post of the Commissioner was vacant for nearly six months from mid-July 2014 to December 2014. Ms. Korlapati served as the Commissioner for about five-and-a-half months from January, 2015.

Speaking to The Hindu , Mr. Gopalakrishna said that his immediate priority is to make all efforts to ensure that Mangaluru made it among the top 20 cities in the country under the smart city scheme. A detailed project report would have to be prepared for it to compete among the 100 cities listed in the country.

He said that like all other cities, Mangaluru too had issues relating to drinking water supply, solid waste management, underground drainage system and roads which a civic body would have to address. There are challenges before the new Commissioner.

One of the issues bothering the people in the city is unfinished underground sewer network taken up by the government for the corporation more than a decade ago under a project called Karnataka Urban Development and Coastal Environmental Management Project (KUDCEMP).

There were issues related to linking underground drainage lines laid, connecting roads, rail lines, and construction of retaining walls and repair of manholes. According to the corporation officials, without addressing them it would be difficult to commission the 155-km-long network of pipelines. Residents in Surathkal, Hosabettu and nearby areas and in Yekkur, Jeppinamogaru, Bajal, Naguri areas have been waiting to get connection to the sewer lines of their houses to manholes. Now, the corporation requires about Rs. 20 crore for completing the pending works.

An initiative regarding segregation of waste at source started in select wards in the city on trial basis about three months ago has failed.

Another challenge would be to disconnect unauthorised water line connections along the main supply lines of the corporation between Thumbe and Padil.