Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)

Mangaluru, Jun 1: The city corporation here has proposed to maintain higher water level of eight metres at Thumbay vented dam that takes care of drinking water needs of the city and several panchayats around it. It has decided to submit a proposal to the state government seeking release of grant amounting to Rs 120 crore through Visvesvaraya Jala Nigam Ltd to pay compensation to owners of land which will get inundated.

The general session of the city corporation council held here on Wednesday May 31 was presided over by city mayor, Kavita Sanil. Chief whip, M Shashidhar Hegde, who moved the agenda at the session, said that the city corporation would have to provide funds for paying compensation to land owners losing their land due to increasing of the water level at Thumbay to eight metres. He noted that the mayor and district-in-charge minister, Ramanath Rai, have already requested the chief minister to provide funds for land acquisition as above. He said that the said proposal would have to be approved by the general session of the city corporation.

The mayor said that increasing the water level at Thumbay will pave way for permanently solving drinking water problem of the city. She said that once compensation is disbursed to owners of about 500 acres of land falling in the area that will be occupied by standing water, all problems will get resolved.

The city corporation council decided to form a house committee to conduct a detailed study into the possibility of effluents from industries located around Maravoor having polluted the water of Falguni river. The mayor said that steps would be taken on the basis of the report that will be submitted by the committee.