BJP Mangaluru corporator who entered manhole did it to 'solve problem, not publicity'

A BJP corporator, Manohar Shetty, who entered a manhole in Mangaluru to avert waterlogging ahead of the monsoon said that there were issues regarding inundation in recent years and in order to avoid the same, he decided to enter the manhole to ensure it is clean by himself.

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Corporator cleans up manhole 

Speaking to ANI, Shetty said, "In my ward, there is a rainwater drain at Kadri Kambla junction and for the past few years, there was a waterlogging problem due to trash water used to collect and vehicles used to find it difficult to pass in that area. Since there was a lot of trash it had to be cleared to avoid waterlogging. We changed our dresses, and then I along with my three party workers entered manhole and cleared the trash."

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He also addressed allegations of a publicity stunt and said, "During elections, I had promised people to get the drain cleaned. Since monsoon was coming; something had to be done; we did not do it for publicity but to solve a problem."

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Images of Shetty in the manhole went viral and earned him a lot of praise. He had earlier called for labourers to clean the manhole but they did not enter since it was dangerous during the monsoon. He then asked the local authorities to send a high-speed water jet which did not work as well and thus, he ended up entering the drain himself. Once he entered, four labourers joined him and they worked for around half a day using torches. 

He added that it was around eight feet deep and they managed to clear the garbage stuck inside. 

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(With ANI inputs / Image credit: @Sharanyashettyy)