Case booked against Mogaveera Mahasabha, truck owner for alleged encroachment of Phalguni riverbed

The Barke Police have registered a case against the Mogaveera Mahasabha, Boloor and a truck owner for allegedly dumping debris and encroaching into Phalguni (Gurupura) River in Sultan Bathery on Friday.

The Barke Police have registered a case against the Mogaveera Mahasabha, Boloor and a truck owner for allegedly dumping debris and encroaching into Phalguni (Gurupura) riverbed in Sultan Bathery on Friday.

Meanwhile, Dakshina Kannada district in-charge Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao, who chaired a review meeting on preventing water pollution in the City on Friday, directed officials concerned to immediately get the encroachment removed. The Mangaluru City Corporation Commissioner informed the Minister that police have already registered a case in this regard.

City Police Commissioner Sudheer Kumar Reddy in a statement here said the case under Sections 324 (5) and 329 (3) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Samhita and Section 2 (A) and (B) of the Karnataka Prevention of Destruction and Loss of Property Act, 1981 has been filed against the president of the Mahasabha and the truck driver. The action was taken on a complaint from the town planning officer of the MCC, who alleged that large quantities of building waste, soil and other waste were dumped into the river, thereby encroaching about 20 cents of government (river) land.

Mr. Rao expressed concern over the alleged encroachment reported in the media and said the river should be brought back to its original course.

Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board (KIADB) officials informed the meeting that a tender was finalised to construct a common effluent plant for industries in Baikampady Industrial Area at an estimated cost of ₹39 crore. The measure would prevent effluents from minor, small and micro industries that do not have their own treatment plants, from flowing into the natural canal system and later into the Phalguni, the officials said.

Meanwhile, Karnataka Pollution Control Board officials told the meeting that it has directed local bodies concerned to immediately provide underground drainage systems in Angaragundi and Kudumbur settlements inside Baikampady Industrial Area. Such a system should be connected to the sewage treatment plant constructed at Baggundi near Thokur, they said.