Councillors criticise delay in completion of Jalasiri project five years after launch

Expressing anguish over delay in completing the Jalasiri drinking water project, councillors of Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC) at a meeting on Monday blamed it on the apathy of the contractor and officials for the ₹821.97 crore project not becoming a reality even five years after its launch.

Expressing anguish over delay in completing the Jalasiri drinking water project, councillors of Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC) at a meeting on Monday blamed it on the apathy of the contractor and officials for the ₹821.97 crore project not becoming a reality even five years after its launch.

Mayor Manoj Kumar had called the meeting to review the progress and address the issues associated with the project launched on December 24, 2019.

Leader of the Opposition Congress in the council Anil Kumar alleged that the contractor — M/s Suez India Pvt. Ltd. and Suez Project Pvt. Ltd. JV with M/s DRS Infra Tech Pvt. Ltd. — had completely failed to ensure that the project was completed on time. “Not even 50% of the project has been completed. The contractor is wholly responsible for the delay,” Mr. Kumar said.

Mr. Kumar and other councillors said that people were taking them to task over the mess created in the implementation stage, particularly the delay in restoring the roads dug up for laying pipelines.

A. Shwetha, councillor from Surathkal East ward, said the ward is being supplied drinking water once in three days. This is because of changes made in the water distribution system while the project is under way. “Forget supplying round the clock water for which the project has been designed. At least supply water daily. Now, the ward is receiving water only two hours a day,” she said and added that many houses in her ward are being supplied with water through tankers. “People in my ward are cursing me for not being able to supply at least drinking water daily,” she said.

Keshav from Maroli ward and some other councillors pointed out that the roads dug up for laying distribution network pipelines have not been restored.

Shobha Poojary, councillor from Alape South ward, said that old water meters in her ward have been replaced with new ones under the project and people have been getting exorbitant water bills since then. The new distribution pipelines laid have not been linked with the main water supply lines.