Sea erosion gives Ullal residents jitters

Mangaluru: People of Ullal have seen the sea inch closer to their houses with every passing year as the boulders dumped on the shore to stop sea erosion have failed to contain the waves. The district administration now plans to shift around 160 families living near the shore in Hillary Nagar and Kaiko in Ullal to safer ground by the next monsoon.

The Dakshina Kannada deputy commissioner has already sent a proposal on this to the state government and it is likely to be get the cabinet nod shortly, according to sources. The district administration has identified 1.5 acres in Kotekar village, a short distance from Kaiko, and handed them over to the Ullal Municipality for building new houses for the displaced villagers. The houses will be built by the Rajiv Gandhi Housing Corporation Limited once the government clears the project.

“We have already received approval for single bedroom house. But the district administration has sent a revised proposal for a bigger house, which will once again be considered by the cabinet. We are hopeful that all these families will be shifted to their new houses by the next monsoon,” Minister  U.T. Khader said.

Meanwhile, even before the monsoon could gain momentum, sea erosion has started in various parts of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts. Four families have been shifted to their relatives' homes in Someshwara for their safety while the authorities take temporary measures to prevent the erosion.