SC/ST meeting highlights rifts among Dalit groups

July 27, 2014

Mangalore, Jul 27: Rifts between separate factions of Dalit organisations and leaders in the district came to the fore at the SC/ST monthly grievance meeting held at the office of Commissioner of Police, Mangalore City here on Sunday.

Ramya, a Dalit representative from Ullal, alleged that she was being harassed by police officers including the sub-inspector at Ullal police station from the past four months, citing that a complaint was lodged on her.

She alleged that the sub-inspector had threatened her when she warned of lodging a complaint against him.

On the other hand, two other Dalit representatives alleged that she was helping an elderly Muslim woman in illegally building a house on SC/ST reserve land in Permanur in Ullal, although the latter did not have title deeds to the land.

They alleged that the house was being built without the permission of the local town municipality, on land that was reserved for people belonging to the SC/ST community. The Dalit woman is supporting the illegal construction of the house, even without a title deed for the land. The concerned taluk panchayat has also given eviction notice to the illegal construction, they claimed.

Addressing the grievance meet, Mangalore City police commissioner R Hithendra said that the forum was not meant for civil disputes and land issues, which concerned the Tahsildar or the deputy commissioner.

He urged the gathering to come forward if there were complaints that were criminal in nature.

Several complaints were raised against the misuse of the SC/ST atrocity act, urging the police department to look into the complaint in detail and conduct a probe in such cases.

Another Dalit representative Achyuth pointed that in cases coming under the ambit of SC/ST atrocity act, the initial FIR could be registered by the local police station, but the investigation and preparing the charge-sheet should be undertaken by a police officer of the rank of a Deputy Superintendent of Police.

DCP (Law & Order) K V Jagadish and DCP (Crime & Traffic) Vishnuvarshan were present in the meeting.

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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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