Desilting of Perandoor canal in Kochi to gain momentum
The Hindu
Corporation plans to complete work within a fortnight
Three days into the desilting of Perandoor Canal, the Kochi Corporation hopes to complete the work within a fortnight.
Justice Devan Ramachandran of the Kerala High Court had the other day, while asking the civic administration to complete the work, noted that there was nothing on record to show how the canal was desilted after 2018.
Mayor M. Anilkumar said the civic administration focused only on removal of weeds from the canal during the last two years, as the previous administration had shelled out a significant amount of money for desilting work. The administration was reluctant to make another big spending on the project considering the expenditure last time, he added.
Issuing an ultimatum to the civic body, the court noted that the rains, though unseasonal, for a few hours had inundated substantial portions of the city, particularly major areas like Panampilly Nagar and M.G. Road. It was following the intervention of the court that the canal was desilted after the 2018 floods, the judge noted.
The various inputs available to the court prima facie showed that non-desilting of Perandoor canal had contributed to the large-scale flooding in the city last week. It is important that the canal is desilted on an emergency basis, the court ordered.
Janardhana Shenoy, standing counsel for the Kochi Corporation, informed the court that steps for desilting had been taken, and that the machinery obtained from Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) was used for the purpose.
The court directed the Corporation Secretary to file an Action Taken Report on the desilting of Perandoor canal through its entire stretch during the next posting of the case. The work shall be completed within the next 10 to 15 days. The civic administration will be at liberty to seek the assistance of the Operation Breakthrough team, which will support it to the extent possible, understanding that it was a common cause, on which the future of the city virtually depended upon, the court noted.