The retaining wall constructed by the side of the Netravati River as part of the Riverfront Promenade project at Mulihithlu collapsed during recent rains. Social activists have alleged substandard work by the Mangaluru Smart City Limited (MSCL). MSCL officials, however, have stated that the contractor will reconstruct the wall at his own expense.
H Shashidhar Shetty, general secretary of the National Environment Care Federation (NECF), shared a picture of the collapsed wall and stated that the collapse was due to a lack of quality control. “No proper spot inspections were conducted to ensure the quality of work in the project, which is being implemented at a cost of Rs 70 crore. While the whole project is bogus, the work is being executed without a quality check,” he said.
A joint committee, constituted as per the National Green Tribunal’s (NGT) order, recently conducted an inspection to verify allegations of coastal regulation zone norms violations in the execution of the Netravati Riverfront Project. NGT’s Principal Bench had ordered the formation of the committee on March 5, based on a letter from NECF alleging irregularities. “Being the complainant, I was not invited during the inspection,” Shetty added.
MSCL general manager (technical) Arun Prabha KS, when contacted, stated, “While constructing a protection wall, we followed what was there at the bottom. Compacting was done during the layer-by-layer backfilling at the spot where the wall collapsed. Though the process was followed, the wall could not hold the saturated soil during the rain. The contractor will take up the reconstruction of the retaining wall. We have not made any payment to the contractor yet,” he added.
