MCC -Mangaluru City Corporation blunders on action against occupants

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangaluru:  As per reports,  MCC is in a fix over filing criminal cases against those responsible for dumping debris on pipelines, which were recently damaged and resulted in drinking water woes in the city. The city went dry for nearly five days in the first week of August.

The saving grace was that the crisis unfolded in the middle of a monsoon and the authorities managed to handle it.

Mangaluru City South MLA J R Lobo and MLC Ivan D’Souza went public with their demand that the civic body file criminal cases against those responsible for the act. MLC Lobo, who reviewed the pipeline breakage, had  directed the officials to book criminal cases against the offender/s . However, it’s been a long time now. 

Gokuldas Nayak, in-charge commissioner, confirmed that this climb-down at the general meeting of the council on August 29, stated that MCC has decided not to file criminal cases against the offenders, at least this one time. The property along the length of the pipeline corridor in question from Thumbe to the city had changed several hands and it was difficult to determine the offender, he said. The property has changed hands at least two or three times. 

Meanwhile, the city corporation has ensured that the pipeline corridor from Thumbe to the city has been surveyed.

MCC has acquired 11.31 acres to lay the pipeline, adding that the RTCs - 78 in all, including 59 in Bantwal taluk - in this acquired land has since been transferred in the name of the civic body.  The boundary of  property along the corridor is marked and issued notices to those responsible for encroachment.  Of the 68 identified land owners on this stretch, around a dozen met the civic body authorities and have agreed to remove the debris dumped on the pipeline and others have indicated they will do so.

The corporation has also filed their objection before the tahshildars in Bantwal and Mangaluru to cancel conversion for change in land use.   The property owners will be entitled to enjoy their rights to the land only after the corporation issues a no-objection certificate.

Admitting that the civic body too had dumped some debris in the area to provide a cushioning effect to the pipeline, Nayak said that the property owners who have dumped debris will have to remove it at their cost. Otherwise, MCC will do the needful and recover cost from them, he said. Since many were ignorant of the consequences of their action, it is decided to go soft on them,  any further transgression will invite suitable criminal action in the future.