Portion of riverside protection wall of Netravathi Riverfront Project collapses

Riverside protection wall collapse in Mangaluru Smart City project prompts National Green Tribunal intervention.

A portion of the riverside protection wall of the Netravathi Riverfront Project, being executed by Mangaluru Smart City Ltd., collapsed near Mulihithlu in the city on Friday, June 21.

The collapse was witnessed between the South Kanara-Udupi District Cooperative Fish Marketing Federation in Mulihithlu and the Bolara Sea Face. The riverside protection wall collapsed for about 100 mts at the location.

Responding to the incident, H. Shashidhar Shetty, general secretary of the National Environment Care Federation, alleged substandard work in the execution of the project work. NECF has petitioned the National Green Tribunal (NGT) alleging a violation of the coastal regulatory zone norms by Mangaluru Smart City Ltd. while executing the project work.

With the Dakshina Kannada District administration failing to arrange a joint committee inspection into the NECF allegations, the Tribunal had on May 31 issued an interim stay order on the project work on the riverside. The joint inspection was later arranged on June 11 with experts from the Central Pollution Control Board, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and National Centre for Coastal Research, Chennai, joining the inspection along with the Dakshina Kannada Deputy Commissioner.