Udupi's march towards 'cityhood'

August 2, 2013

Udupi, Aug 2: Udupi town is growing drastically and the pangs and problem of cities have already invaded the town. The roads are shrinking and the number of vehicles on roads are swelling. Parking slots have become a rare luxury in the city because most of the parking areas have been eaten away by buildings or vendors. Walking on the roads has become a difficult task to perform for pedestrians.

With people having little civic sense, the people fail to avail the existing parking slots effectively, thereby leading to added chaos.

In the car parking shelter near the old taluk office, vehicle owners park haphazardly and walk away. While most of the space in the premises of the office is reserved for officials, commoners struggle to find parking slots near here. The space in front of Dr TMA Pai Hospital is filled with hand-carts selling different wares. People thronging at Big Bazar in plush cars take the leeway to park their cars on the road.

The space in front of a private bus booking office near the service bus-stand in Udupi is usually seen littered with several parcels dropped by buses, leading to problems in traffic and limitation of space for buses to commute. The place also serves as a depot for private buses in the evening which halt on the road itself before leaving to their respective destinations.

Ground floor parking

Commercial buildings coming up under the limits of town council are mandated to provide parking for customers in the ground floor of the building. However, the minute the builders obtain a permit, space in the ground floor is rented out for commercial purposes. Several cases of this kind are seen in the city. Although this mandate is not new, this practice has been in existence since ages.

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Mangaluru’s ₹1,200 crore fix: Massive sewage overhaul to end city’s drainage woes

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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