Sorake, Lobo caution health dept for inefficiency

[email protected] (CD Network, Photos by Suresh Vamanjoor)
June 17, 2013
Mangalore, Jun 17: The progress of several developmental projects under Mangalore City Corporation limits was reviewed in a meeting chaired by Minister for Urban Development Vinay Kumar Sorake, at the MCC council hall, here on Monday.

The urban development minister was briefed on the progress of several projects in various departments such as clearing of rainwater-drains, solid-waste management, malaria and dengue control, town planning, and underground drainage (UGD) project.

Officials of the concerned departments also provided additional information and clarifications with respect to their respective projects, in the presence of MLAs J R Lobo and Moideen Bava, Deputy Commissioner N Prakash and MCC commissioner-in-charge Srikanth Rao.

In the meeting, emphasis was placed on the development of underground drainage network taken up under the Karnataka Urban Development and Coastal Environmental Management Project (KUDCEMP) in the city.

Works should be completed soon in the second stage, which will be further reviewed in 15 days, said Mr Sorake.

Solid waste management

Officials of the Health Department said that solid waste management would be carried out in 47 wards through local contractors and by civic labourers in eight wards, who would begin their work from July 1.

Mr Lobo expressed unhappiness over the dismal sanitation situation in Central Market. The waste management around the market place is highly inefficient, and the cleanliness is at its lowest in months. It is the worst form of maintenance in the health sector, he said, instructing officials to take their work seriously in improving the sanitation of the place.

Mr Sorake cautioned that the problem ought to be solved within three months before the next review meeting.

It was brought to the notice of the authorities that a 3-tier system had been introduced to bring transparency in solid waste management, which included vehicle-tracking system, mobile governance and SMS-based public grievance addressal forum to address issues on waste management. It was also informed that three vehicles had been facilitated to collect waste from meat stalls and five to collect from hotels and restaurants.

Rain-water drains

Briefing the minister on the works being carried out with regard to rain-water drains, Mr Lobo said that the cleaning of the drains had not been completed, and most of the rain-water drains had been left as they were, in spite of having given the task to contractors.

To this, an official replied that the works had been almost completed and only 10 percent was remaining. Mr Sorake instructed the DC and the concerned departments to hasten the process.

Control of vector-borne diseases

In the meeting, vector-borne disease control officer said that 2125 cases were found in 2012 and 1560 were reported in 2013, and there was about 50 per cent decrease in the cases from last year.

He said that about 3 lakh houses were visited from last year, among which 27,000 houses were found to have breeding sites. These sites were eliminated and awareness was given to the people. In the month of May, building construction sites were also visited and breeding sites were destroyed wherever found. Free malaria testing and treatment centres were set up across the city and six more were in the process of being set up.

Bus stand at Pumpwell

It was also brought to the notice that about 7.11 acres of land had been acquired for the establishment of a new bus stand in the city near Pumpwell, although it had been deferred since entry to the National Highway would create a bottleneck junction and also since there was a plan to construct a permanent bus stand for both government and private buses.

Thumbay vented dam

With regard to the construction of the vented dam at Thumbay, Mr Lobo instructed the concerned officials to accelerate the pending works by the month of April so that it would be completed and made functional by the next season.

In response, the official gave assurances that the dam would be completed within the period of six months from November to April.

MLA Moideen Bava pointed that the facility of conveying water from Lakya dam in Kudremukh was still available, and requested the minister to revive this facility so that water could be supplied to areas such as Suratkal.

It was also mentioned in the meeting that a national-level quality assurance laboratory would be set-up soon in the MCC to monitor the quality of developmental works at all stages. Software to manage general fund works had been developed which would be used to display all details from estimate preparation to stage of bills online.

Mr Lobo also pointed out the problem of lack of clean public toilets for the people in the city.

He also instructed the Revenue department to provide door numbers and title deeds to those houses in Bengre where people had been residing on government land from several years.

Deputy Commissioner N Prakash and MCC commissioner-in-charge Srikanth Rao were present.

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News Network
December 15,2025

Mangaluru police have arrested a 27-year-old NRI on his return from Saudi Arabia in connection with an Instagram post allegedly containing derogatory and provocative remarks about the Hindu religion, officials said on Monday.

The accused, Abdul Khader Nehad, a resident of Ulaibettu in Mangaluru, was working in Saudi Arabia when the post was uploaded, police said.

A suo motu case was registered at the Bajpe police station on October 11 after an allegedly offensive post circulated from the Instagram account ‘team_sdpi_2025’. Police said the content was flagged for being provocative and derogatory in nature.

During the investigation, technical analysis traced the Instagram post to Nehad, who was residing abroad at the time, a senior police officer said. Based on these findings, a Look Out Circular (LOC) was issued against him.

On December 14, Nehad arrived from Saudi Arabia at Calicut International Airport in Kerala, where he was taken into custody on arrival. Police said further investigation is underway.

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News Network
December 19,2025

Mangaluru: In a decisive move to tackle the city’s deteriorating sanitation infrastructure, the Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC) has announced a massive ₹1,200 crore action plan to overhaul its underground drainage (UGD) network.

The initiative, spearheaded by Deputy Commissioner and MCC Administrator Darshan HV, aims to bridge "missing links" in the current system that have left residents grappling with overflowing sewage and environmental hazards.

The Breaking Point

The announcement follows a high-intensity phone-in session on Thursday, where the DC was flooded with grievances from frustrated citizens. Residents, including Savithri from Yekkur, described a harrowing reality: raw sewage from apartments leaking into stormwater drains, creating a "permanent stink" and turning residential zones into mosquito breeding grounds.

"We are facing immense difficulties due to the stench and the health risks. Local officials have remained silent until now," one resident reported during the session.

The Strategy: A Six-Year Vision

DC Darshan HV confirmed that the proposed plan is not a temporary patch but a comprehensive six-year roadmap designed to accommodate Mangaluru’s projected population growth. Key highlights of the plan include:

•    Infrastructure Expansion: Laying additional pipelines to connect older neighborhoods to the main grid.

•    STP Crackdown: Stricter enforcement of Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) regulations. While new apartments are required to have functional STPs, many older buildings lack them entirely, and several newer units are reportedly non-functional.

•    Budgetary Push: The plan has already been discussed with the district in-charge minister and the Secretary of the Urban Development Department. It is slated for formal presentation in the upcoming state budget.

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News Network
December 20,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 20: The Mangaluru City Police have issued a detailed traffic advisory ahead of the inaugural ceremony of Karavali Utsava, which will be held at the Karavali Utsava Ground on Saturday.

The festival will be inaugurated at 6:00 pm by Dakshina Kannada District Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao. Cultural and public programmes will be held at the venue every evening and will continue until January 2.

According to City Police Commissioner Sudheer Kumar Reddy, parking of vehicles is strictly prohibited on both sides of the road from Lalbagh to Karavali Utsava Ground. Visitors are requested to park their vehicles only at designated parking areas.

To help the public, traffic signboards and parking guidance flex boards have been installed along the routes leading to the venue. The police have urged commuters and visitors to follow these instructions to ensure smooth traffic movement.

Designated Parking Locations

•    Urwa Market Ground – Cars
•    Gandhinagar Government School (near Press Club) – Two-wheelers and cars
•    Ladyhill Church parking area – Two-wheelers and cars
•    Canara School Ground, Mannagudda – Two-wheelers and cars
•    Thimmappa Hotel premises – Two-wheelers and cars
•    Scout and Guide Bhavana premises (behind Karavali Utsava Grounds) – Two-wheelers
•    Urwa Market Road – Two-wheelers
•    Hat Hill Road – Two-wheelers

The police have appealed to the public to cooperate by following traffic rules and parking guidelines to avoid inconvenience during the festival.

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