The Karnataka Legislature Committee on Public Undertaking (KPUC) has identified a funding requirement of Rs 1,250 crore for the comprehensive redevelopment of underground drainage (UGD) and related infrastructure in Mangaluru city. Committee chairman T Raghumurthy, along with other members, inspected various projects undertaken by the Karnataka Urban Infrastructure Development and Finance Corporation (KUIDFC) and the Karnataka State Financial Corporation on Wednesday. The team reviewed multiple UGD and water supply works across the city.
Inspection Highlights
During the visit, the committee examined the drainage system at Bejai Anegundi, the wet well at Kodialguthu, the sewage treatment plant (STP) at Madhya, Surathkal, and the Kandevu River in Surathkal. Residents near Bejai Anegundi raised concerns about issues related to the wet well in the area. Raghumurthy told reporters that the committee had taken note of the problems affecting the city and would seek further details from officials before convening a meeting on the matter.
Past Expenditure on Infrastructure
Providing details of expenditure on infrastructure projects over the years, Raghumurthy said that under the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-1 project between 2000 and 2014, around Rs 218 crore was spent on UGD works. Under AMRUT-1 between 2018 and 2020, works worth an estimated Rs 150 crore were undertaken, of which works valued at only Rs 8 crore remain pending. The state government sanctioned Rs 80 crore between 2018 and 2026 for various projects in the city. Overall, nearly Rs 450 crore has so far been spent on Mangaluru city’s UGD and water supply-related infrastructure through KUIDFC. In addition, under the Smart City project, around Rs 990 crore has been spent on 56 different works.
Current Network Condition
Mangaluru City Corporation commissioner Ravichandra Naik said the city presently has an 850-km sewerage network comprising nearly 25,000 machine holes and 22 wet wells. Of this, around 250 km of the network was constructed in 1961 and is now in a severely dilapidated and non-functional condition, with major leakages requiring urgent upgradation. He further said that around 360 km of drainage network was laid under the ADB-1 project in 2005. However, apart from the existing 850-km drainage network, nearly 185 km of the UGD network now requires upgradation, while another 180 km of new network needs to be added. At present, only 65% of the MCC limits are covered under the UGD network, while the remaining 35% lacks connectivity. The proposed Rs 1,250 crore project is aimed at addressing these deficiencies through network expansion, upgradation, and related works, he said.
MLC Ivan D’Souza said the committee plans to submit an interim report on the issue to the government during the next assembly session.
