Mangaluru: A 120-year-old well was discovered near the autorickshaw stand next to the Taj Mahal restaurant recently during the Mangaluru Smart City Limited (MSCL) road construction work near the Hampankatta Circle. It is said that the well found near the Taj Mahal restaurant could be 100 feet deep. Samples of the well’s water have been sent for testing to see if the water is safe for human consumption.
This is the second British-era well to be discovered in Mangaluru city, the first of which was found in October 2019 in the middle of the Bolar Leewell Road during road widening work.
Upon hearing of the well’s discovery, Mangaluru South MLA Vedavyas Kamath, Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC) Mayor Diwakar Pandeshwar, and a few Corporators visited the spot for a survey.
Speaking to the media at the spot, MLA Kamath said that there is a century-long history behind the well and if the water tests safe for consumption, the water will be used. “I will discuss the issue during the next MCC meeting with the MCC Commissioner, concerned officials and corporators, and do the needful. Water is a precious resource these days and we can’t neglect this well if its water is good,” he said.
The MLA added that the MSCL has been directed to stop the road construction work for a while till a decision is taken by the administration and other concerned departments officials in regards to the well.
Dhananjaya Palke, owner of Canara Jewellers, located opposite the well, said, “This well is over 120 years old, as far as I know. Before 1905, there were no motor vehicles and bullock carts and horse carriages were the main modes of transport. During that time, a man by the name of Appanna used to draw water from this well and give it to the bullock cart, horse carriage riders, and the public, along with a piece of jaggery. He used to rest at a katte (small platform/protective wall) nearby, and so, this area became known as ‘Apannakatte’.”
According to Palke, in 1962, former and first Prime Minister of India Jawaharlal Nehru visited Mangaluru and he was taken in an open jeep from the residence of Late Nayampalli Shiva Rao (present-day Shivabagh Bungalow) in a procession to Nehru Maidan. As this well was in the way, obstructing Nehru’s motorcade, the structure of the well was changed. Three months before Nehru’s visit, three renowned figures of the Hampankatta area, Late Palke Babu (founder of Canara Jewellers), Late Kudupi Srinivas Shenoy (founder of Taj Mahal restaurant) and Late Ahmed Haji (owner of the building adjacent to the Taj Mahal restaurant) requested the then Mangalore Municipal Councillor Late Manel Srinivas Nayak to retain the well but cover it with a removable concrete slab.
Till May 1975, the Mangaluru fire brigade used to pump water out of and even constructed a storage tank near this well. “A few days ago, when I noticed the workers digging in that area, I cautioned them about the old well below and asked them to work carefully. I also informed MLA Vedavyas Kamath and other MCC officials, and they assured that they would do the needful,” Dhananjaya Palke added.
