De-clogging of M.G. Road drains to begin after Onam

Drive to be carried out with support of traders, govt., and public

The slabs laid on the drains on M.G. Road will be opened and blocks cleared after Onam. The opening of the drains and the cleaning operations would be carried out with the support of traders, government departments concerned and the public, said Kochi Mayor M. Anilkumar.

An inspection carried out by the civic authorities a few days ago had revealed that the major drains in the area were clogged with food waste which had hardened over a period of time and prevented the free flow of water. Huge quantities of hardened food waste was found accumulated at a length of around 20 metres.

Though the drain on M.G. Road is owned by the Public Works department (PWD), the Kochi Corporation will clean it this year, considering the flooding the city had recently experienced. This time, the civic body will allocate the funds and the work will be implemented by the government agencies concerned. The work would be supervised by traders and the public, said Mr. Anilkumar.

The Mayor had convened a meeting of traders, hoteliers and representatives of trade unions in the hotel sector on Monday to discuss the issue.

Action will be initiated against the hotels found releasing food waste into the drains, which has reportedly contributed to the flooding. The release of waste water into the drains will not be allowed. Eateries found violating the rules would be closed down, he said.

The cleaning drive on M.G. Road is being implemented as a pilot project. The situation on Banerji Road could be similar to that of M.G. Road and hence the cleaning drive would be carried out there too, said Mr. Anilkumar.

The Kochi Corporation plans to bring on board Cochin Smart Mission Limited and the PWD to address the issue of flooding. Joint meeting of the agencies would be convened to chalk out effective steps to avoid flooding in the city, he said.