NOISY SCENE: BJP corporators arguing with Mayor K. Ashraf during the Mangalore City Corporation council meeting on Friday.

MANGALORE: The Mangalore City Corporation council meeting on Friday witnessed pandemonium when leader of the Opposition Shankar Bhat said that drinking water was available only for six days in the wake of the depletion in the water level in the Thumbe reservoir.

Mr. Bhat and other members, who visited the reservoir in the morning, said that the water level in the reservoir was a mere 6 feet, and going by the suction capacity at 20 million gallon per day (MGD), the level would go down by one foot every day. This meant that the city would have water only for six days.

Mr. Bhat's report baffled the council as the water level around this time last year was 12 feet.

Pandemonium prevailed with members of the Opposition stating that this was the worst situation. While Congress members remained silent, those from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) demanded that Mayor K. Ashraf immediately pressure the Deputy Commissioner to direct Mangalore Refineries and Petrochemicals Limited (MRPL) to release water from its dam into the Thumbe reservoir. Without waiting for the Mayor's reply, the BJP members rushed to the well of the House and staged a dharna raising slogans against him. Earlier, Mariyamma Thomas of the BJP accused the Mayor of not taking stringent action against those who had illegally diverted water from the 18 MGD line directly which hampered supply in parts of the city.

Mr. Ashraf said a committee headed by him had detected 60 illegal water connections from Maripalla to Kulur and the officials had given notices to the accused. Action against them would be taken soon. He said one of the accused had obtained a stay order against the action of the corporation. The BJP continued its dharna though the Mayor adjourned the meeting for 15 minutes. When the meeting resumed, the BJP members persisted with their demand that the corporation supply water in the city properly.

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