District Legal Services Authority member-secretary Srinivas Navale inspecting ongoing underground drainage works at Lalgeri Cross in Kalaburagi on Wednesday.
| Photo Credit: ARUN KULKARNI

Responding to a petition filed by advocate and social activist Vaijnath Zhalki objecting to the inordinate delay in completing underground drainage works near Lalgeri Cross in Kalaburagi, the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) has ordered the City Corporation to complete the works by Sunday.

Mr. Zhalki has in his petition before the DLSA stated that the ongoing works have become a cause of inconvenience for commuters as any safety measures have not been taken. He has mentioned that the drains are kept open without covering them with slabs.

He said that this will pose threats to lakhs of devotees thronging the historic Sharanabasaveshwara temple during the annual jatra mahotsava scheduled to begin on March 18.

Mr. Zhalki has also asked the DLSA to impose a fine of ₹10 lakh on the city corporation for the inordinate delay in completing the works which were taken up six months ago.

DLSA member-secretary Srinivas Navale on Wednesday visited the spot and ordered assistant engineer of the city corporation Ravindranath Chavan to speed up the works and ensure all drains are covered with slabs to avoid any untoward incident during the jatra mahotsava.

However, the DLSA authorities did not impose any penalty on the city corporation or the contractor as sought for by the complainant.