Underground drainage project in Karnataka's Madikeri at standstill

29 Dec 2022 CW Team

The Madikeri Under Ground Drainage (UGD) project in Karnataka has been stalled for three years due to land issues. Residents' vehement objection to the installation of subterranean pipelines has added to the project's troubles, even as Rs 272 million in finished work appears to be a waste.

The Madikeri UGD project was approved in 2012, and construction began in 2015. The project, which promised a UGD network to 7,500 houses within the city borders, received Rs 490 million in funding. The project's goal was to lay UGD pipelines for 109 km.

The project came to a halt after the installation of UGD pipelines throughout a 69-km span, and no work has been completed under the project for nearly three years.

The Karnataka Urban Water Supply and Drainage Board (KUWSDB) spent Rs 272 million to lay underground pipelines along a 69 km route. However, the connection is still unfinished because work on creating a Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) has yet to begin. The project will remain dysfunctional unless the STP is established.

Residents also voiced significant resistance to the project, blaming it for destroying the city's already pitiful roadways during the pipeline digging process.

Furthermore, due to the ongoing land dispute, the establishment of the STP unit on 1.66 acre of government land within the Badaga village borders has not begun. Two nearby private owners have encroached on the approach road to the indicated government land. The failure to address the matter and carry out the eviction procedure has been attributed to a lack of interest on the part of the respective district officials and people's representatives.

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