Mangaluru : The frequent assurances and promises by the Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC) to improve the infrastructure facilities, are yet to be unfulfilled.

Though City Police Commissioner M Chandra Sekhar in a meeting with the MCC officials on May 24, had issued a few guidelines to set right the civic amenities, the work has not been completed fully even to this day.

MCC Commissioner Dr H N Gopalakrishna says that action would be taken within a month.
The guidelines included providing footpath railings and footpaths at 31 points, repair of drains on Gandhinagara-Mannagudde Road, interlock at Sharavu Temple Cross, laying concrete slab near Popular Building, Lalbagh Junction and Navabharath Circle, construction of footpath at Navabharath Circle-K S Rao Road, PVS-Bunts Hostel Road, repair of road at Kudmal Ranga Rao hostel, laying interlocks at Saibeen Complex, Bejai-Kapikad, Kottara Junction, Kottara Chowki, Durgamahal Junction, footpath at KSRTC Junction, Milagres Road, Bharath Beedi Cross, Valencia, Mangaladevi and so on.

On the other hand, with lack of stormwater drains, rainwater flows on the road itself. At the same time, the work on the drains is also moving in a snail’s pace. With the water flowing on the road, moving vehicles splash muddy water on hapless pedestrians, causing inconvenience to the office-goers, schoolchildren and other general public. With a few minutes of shower, water puddles are formed on the road in front of City Centre mall, Karangalpady, Hampankatte, Valencia, in front of AJ Hospital, between Kuntikana and KPT Junction, KPT Junction, between Padil and Adyar.

Pedestrians on PVS Road and Milagres Road are put into trouble due to lack of drains and footpath.“Vehicles are parked haphazardly on the road, making the pedestrians to risk his/her life while walking on the road,” says Abhishek, a resident of Chandrika Layout.

The Light House Hill Road, Hampankatta, which is a concrete stretch, has also developed potholes with iron rods popping out. Rods jutting out from the road surface may damage vehicles or cause accidents. The roads at Kankanady, Pumpwell, Bavanthi Street too have developed potholes. “I have been seeing potholes lying unattended to by the City Corporation authorities at least for the past few days,” say Jayaprakash, a resident.

The work on the stormwater drains has remained incomplete at several stretches in the city.

Arya Samaj road is in a mess with dumping of mud all along and caving in of a concrete pavement. According to local people, there have been few accidents the stretch and despite this, the corporation authorities are yet to initiate any action.

Samson Vijay Kumar, the project director of the National Highways Authority of India, in the recently held quartely meeting of Karnataka Development Programmes (KDP) said that the NHAI was in the process of constructing shoulder drains on a 17-km stretch to avoid formation of water puddles on the highway which passes through the city.

Mangaluru Mayor Harinath says: “There are cable wires on the spot where drain works are undertaken. As a result, a earthmover can not be used to remove the silt and set right the problem. The MCC is making an effort to complete the work on drains and footpaths at the earliest.”