Mangaluru: District secretary and managing director, KPCL, V Ponnuraj on Tuesday directed the district administration to undertake spot inspection and submit a report on implications of storing water at a height of seven metres at Thumbe vented dam. “The inspection should be able to accurately assess land that will be submerged by raising the water storage level by an additional metre from the present level of six metres,” Ponnuraj said.

Chairing the Dakshina Kannada (DK) district development review meeting, Ponnuraj directed officials of the departments of revenue and survey and Mangaluru City Corporation to jointly inspect the area and identify the land that will be submerged. Raising water storage level at the vented dam that is the primary source of water for potable and commercial purposes of the city is vital to ensuring that this need is met on a long-term basis without interruptions, he said.

Giving thrust to ensuring personal hygiene in areas across DK that witness high footfalls, Ponnuraj directed officials to construct toilets in such areas, and that priority should be accorded to their maintenance. “The toilets that should be centred around bus stands, markets and important junctions in all important cities and towns of the district should also have a mechanism for the users to register their feedback to help better the service offered,” he said.

Expressing dissatisfaction at the progress achieved in housing schemes in the district, he asked the officials to remain in constant touch with beneficiaries and ensure that houses are completed in a time-bound manner. With work on constructing 600 houses at Iddya under Mangaluru City Corporation limits already in progress, Ponnuraj, also former deputy commissioner of the district, directed MCC officials to ensure its timely and effective completion.

Directing officials to expedite repair works of houses damaged in the monsoon deluge, he said the government is giving Rs 1 lakh to each family whose houses were damaged, as interim relief. “Officials must explain further course of action that government has proposed for such beneficiaries and ensure that this relief has been credited to their accounts,” Ponnuraj said, adding the problem can be effectively addressed only with their due diligence.

Taking note of the fact that there are more than 12,000 cases under 11E pending with the survey department and a majority of them pertain to changes in land records, Ponnuraj suggested that the administration address this issue by hiring retired and experienced officials from the revenue department on an honorarium basis. He directed Sindhu B Rupesh, deputy commissioner, to send a proposal to the government, to this effect, while seeking a report on encroachment of Wakf land.