Row between Maharaja’s College and Kochi Corporation threatens to intensify

District administration to go ahead with plan to relocate traders temporarily to college ground

With the district administration determined to go ahead with the plan to relocate traders at Fashion Street temporarily to the Maharaja’s College ground ahead of cleaning the Mullassery canal, the confrontation between the college authorities on one side and the district administration and the Kochi Corporation on the other is threatening to intensify.

The objection raised by the college principal in a letter to District Collector Jafar Malik earlier this week seems to have had little effect.

Mr. Malik said the plan remained unchanged for multiple reasons, not the least that the cleaning of the Mullasserry canal is a High Court-monitored work with a clear deadline. “We will start temporary relocation at the earliest as the cleaning work will have to be launched by this month-end to complete it in the next three to four months as per the deadline. Besides, it is also in the interest of the college as flooding of the canal will leave the ground waterlogged. The Director of Collegiate Education has also agreed to the plan considering the involvement of the High Court,” he said.