KOCHI : The game of passing the buck over who’s responsible for the cleaning of around 22 culverts in the city that are located on railway tracks, from Vaduthala to Thevara, is now being played with competitive vigour. While Kochi corporation has placed the onus on the railways when it comes to cleaning the waterbody that these culverts span, the latter has dodged the claim claiming the duty lies squarely with the civic body.
With no end to the game in sight, the city has to bear the brunt of waterlogging. Cleaning the culverts has assumed crucial importance, specially during the monsoon, with the clogged Thevara-Perandoor canal and Mullassery canal being cited as key causes of waterlogging in many parts of the city.
Speaking to TNIE, opposition councillor M G Aristotle said, “The corporation only carries out jetting of the railway culverts. It also doesn’t allow external agencies to do the cleaning, citing safety issues. Moreover, we have been requesting the railways to convert the pipe culverts into box culverts, which makes cleaning easier. But they have not bothered to respond over the years.” Aristotle said, “Box culverts can help avoid mishaps such as the one that happened in Thiruvananthapuram. Railways was instructed to hold a meeting with the local body on cleaning the debris that has accumulated near the culverts. However, nothing has come of it.” A permanent solution needs to be arrived at very soon. “Otherwise, the debris will continue to block the flow of water and lead to further waterlogging in the city,” he added.
Pointing out that the railways had cleaned all the culverts in 2022, mayor M Anilkumar said, “However, this year, they did not clean the culverts on time. Last week, I discussed this matter with railway officials and requested their cooperation to complete the work at the earliest.”
In the discussion, it was decided to coordinate cleaning efforts.
“It was also decided to find a permanent solution to avoid the accumulation of plastic waste that hinders the flow of water,” the mayor said.
He pointed out that the Kerala High Court had asked the railways to clean the culverts. “However, the railways cleaned only two culverts, one in Pachalam and the other near Kalabhavan. The remaining culverts were not cleaned,” said Manoj Kumar, secretary of the Kerala Merchants Chamber of Commerce. “If these culverts are cleaned regularly, flooding in the city can be reduced by around 50%,” he added.
But, railways rejected the claim that it is responsible for cleaning the culverts.
“We are only responsible for ensuring that our waste doesn’t enter the waterbodies. And we have been doing a good job at that. All the waste thrown on the tracks or collected from the trains during cleaning is segregated and disposed of at our waste-management facilities,” a railway official said.
The cleaning of the waste in the waterbodies is the responsibility of local self-governments, he added.
“The railways, however, is not averse to extending all help, including giving relevant permissions needed for workers to carry out the cleaning of the culverts,” the official said. We also send a representative to monitor the work since many installations are located near the tracks, he added.
Not responsible for cleaning: Railways
Railways rejected the claim that it is responsible for cleaning the culverts, adding that it is not averse to extending help, including giving nods needed for workers to carry out the cleaning of the culverts