The Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC) has deployed two earthmovers to remove the debris dumped into the Phalguni (Gurupura) River-bed at Sultan Bathery, and the encroachment should get cleared within 10 days, said Deputy Commissioner H.V. Darshan on Monday.

Responding to a question at a press conference here, Mr. Darshan said, despite repeated directions to the accused, the Boloor Mogaveera Mahasabha, against which an FIR was also registered, did not clear the debris for over 10 days. As such, the MCC undertook the encroachment removal work. Besides continuing the criminal proceedings against the accused, the administration would recover the cost incurred for removing the encroachment, the Deputy Commissioner said.

To another question about concerns of artificial/flash floods due to the coffer bund erected for the construction of the Sultan Bathery-Tannirbhavi Bridge continuing to remain at the site, Mr. Darshan said the administration has prepared two or three contingency plans to address the issue. Either complete removal of the coffer bund or removal of soil in between alternative spans would be undertaken before the onset of monsoon to ensure the free flow of water, he said. The Deputy Commissioner said the bridge would be completed by the second week of July.

Drain desiltation

Meanwhile, the major stormwater drain desiltation work undertaken by the MCC was nearing completion, the Deputy Commissioner said, adding that it would substantially reduce the risk of artificial flooding of low-lying areas.

The focus has been on shifting the removed silt from drain bunds to other locations so that the silt does not flow into the drains again. Also, the administration has formed committees of residents to suggest areas where the desiltation needs to be carried out, he said.

Regarding the artificial flooding in the Pumpwell area, the Deputy Commissioner said that historically, it has been a low-lying area. The administration has been working on raising the height of the stormwater drains in the region to prevent artificial flooding.

On the encroachment of national highway flanks by unauthorised petty shops and sellers, Mr. Darshan said the administration has already received inputs from the National Highways Authority of India about the black spots on NHs 66, 75, 73 and 169 in the district. The same would be cleared by the local authorities.