Kerala High Court concerned over delay in completion of Mullassery canal work

Kerala High Court directs completion of Mullassery Canal reconstruction, expresses concern over flooding risks in Kochi.

Expressing concern over the inordinate delay in completing the reconstruction of Mullassery Canal, the Kerala High Court directed the District Collector, with the assistance of the committee formed by the court, to file a status report and the specific time-frame by which the work would be completed.

The reconstruction of Mullassery canal does not appear to have reached its ultimate goal, said Justice Devan Ramachandran. This surely poses a great risk, especially to those residing in its vicinity, he said while considering a batch of petitions regarding the flooding of Kochi roads.

“Look at Thiruvananthapuram now. The city witnessed heavy flooding recently. If we are not careful, a similar situation would happen in Kochi also,” said the court.

The government pleader said though there was a proposal for the construction of a drainage canal from the South railway station to the backwaters, administrative sanction for it had not been accorded. The court said it was unaware as to why sanction had not been granted, particularly if the drainage canal was constructed, the distance for the transfer of water from the South station area would be less than one-third of what it is now.

Commuters at the South station and the KSRTC bus station were among those affected by flooding, the court said. It directed the Collector to take up the matter with the authorities concerned and to inform the court as to when administrative sanction for the work could be obtained.

On mitigation of flooding near the High Court, the government pleader said the work had not even commenced, much less completed, and hence, funds for the same would now have to be either surrendered or re-appropriated. The court said, “The suggested work for mitigation of flooding near the High Court is an essential work, which ought to have been completed within strict time-frames. This, again, is a matter that the District Collector must look into and inform this court.” The court further ordered that the amounts allocated for the work earlier shall not be surrendered or re-appropriated.