Daijiworld News Network - Maripalla / Bantwal (VM)
Maripalla (Bantwal), Feb 22: The Mangalore City Corporation team led by Mayor K Ashraf faced troubled waters in their attempt to get rid of an illegal water connections at Maripalla village by the side of the National Highway 48. On Tuesday when the team reached Maripalla, a large number of people including women and school children staged protest against the disconnection.
Led by zilla panchayat member Farooq, taluk panchayat member Prakash Shetty and gram panchayat president Prakash Rai the residents protested against the move to disconnect water supply by the MCC.
The people interrupted the team consisting former Mayor Shashidhar Hegde, Kamalaksha Salian and opposition leader in Mangalore City Corporation Muralidhar Bolar and chairman of the Health Committee Appi.
It may be noted that the mayor decided to disconnect the illegal connection after he heard that about 1.5 million gallons a day (MGD) of water is being illegally drawn from the 18-MGD line passing through Maripalla. This is said to be resulting in a water shortage in Mangalore, which is supposed to get 18 MGD of water for its five lac residents, but is now getting a little more than 15.5 MGD of water.
At Maripalla on Tuesday the police had to intervene several times to save the Mayor from embarrassment. Since the altercations were taking place by the side of the National Highway, traffic was also blocked intermittently on this stretch.
"There is no other alternative arrangement if the water supply connection was disconnected," the protesters said. Though the Mayor appealed to the public to use water from 2 MGD pipeline, which is running parallel to the 18 MGD pipeline, the members of the public said that there was no proper supply of water through the 2 MGD pipeline.
The three villages of Maripalla, Pudu and Thumbe are getting 1.5 MGD of water from the 18-MGD pipeline in addition to 2 MGD of water from the direct pipeline drawn from the reservoir at Thumbe.
The severe protest compelled the major and his team to set a deadline for disconnection of the illegal water connections. He promised the villagers that he would work to ensure that one more pump is fixed on the 2-MGD line to facilitate smooth distribution of water to the three villages. He said water cannot be diverted from the 18-MGD line meant for Mangalore city, and suggested that a separate line from the Thumbe reservoir can be drawn to the villages on the condition that any illegal connections from the 18-MGD line will be removed.
The Mayor has the villages 15 days to convene a meeting of the MLAs, MP and the panchayat leaders to settle matter, failing which he will have the illegal connection removed.
Later speaking to mediapersons after a meeting with the local leaders in Thumbe and Pudu gram panchayat limits on Tuesday, the Mayor said that the local leaders have accepted the decision too. The mayor categorically rejected their plea to provide water supply from 18 MGD main water supply line. "There is no question of giving water from the main line," the Mayor said and added. "The residents will be given 15 days time to make their own arrangement,” he informed.