Edappally canal cleaning hit by encroachments

Follow us:WhatsappFacebookTwitterTelegram.cls-1{fill:#4d4d4d;}.cls-2{fill:#fff;}Google NewsIt seems that the Kerala State Inland Navigation Corporation’s plan to makeEdappally Canal navigable may hit a road block as the bottlenecks to be sortedout are many. The major reason cited by the highly-placed officials with theIrrigation Department is of course the encroachments.Theysaid the encroachments are too alarming that the authorities concerned wouldhave to strain every nerve to remove the encroachments. According to the KSINC proposal,by making the canal for transportation, the city can be connected with twomajor points at Champakkara and Udyogamandal canals on National Waterway 3. Theproposal has already been submitted before the state government. The IrrigationDepartment is all set to commence cleaning up of the canal this month itself.“Butthe cleaning only make just the preliminary phase. The real challenge lies inthe work which is to be followed after it. Besides, the final work of cleaningup the canal could be procured after much persistent efforts,” said HariNarayan, executive engineer, Irrigation (Major).Theofficial also pointed out that the Indiraji bridge which was built over thecanal has to be demolished to make ways for all kinds of boats to pass through.“This is a major stumbling block which is not noticed by any of the authorities.The encroachments have narrowed down the canal to such an extent that the boatscould not even squeeze through it, he said. The local too agree to the factthat the width of the canal has shrinked. They also said that the efforts tomake the canal would be a strenuous task.“Thenew bridge was built above the old foundation which is very strong. The entirebridge would have to be dismantled to make the canal navigable,” said Ashok Kumar,former councillor. Many portions of the canal have been encroached upon by oversix meters.“Insome areas the encroachments are too bizarre that one can simply step from oneside of the canal to the other,” he said.Thecanal which was once navigable was earlier called the ‘Thukalan kuthiya thodu’.“Years ago the canal was used to transport goods from Ernakulam market and rawmaterials for construction to other parts like Aluva. But keeping the present situationin mind, we do not think such a proposal is plausible,” he said.Thecanal has already become a waste dumping yard. The residents say they do notbelieve in the authorities’ gimmick of cleaning up the canals. “It is a usualexercise and we do not believe that canal would be cleaned,” said a resident.Accordingto the sources, the Irrigation Department and the KSINC are always at loggerheadswhen it comes to cleaning up the canals. A top KSINC official said the NATPAChas conducted a study on it. Since the project is associated with Kochi Metrorail project, it was decided that they would prepare a detailed project report (DPR),”he said.first published:September 04, 2012, 12:16 ISTlast updated:September 04, 2012, 12:16 IST
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