With monsoon gripping the state, the residents at Kundannoor North Bund Road are are in troubled waters. The waterlogging caused due to the illegal filling of paddy fields has made life harrowing for the local people.
According to the residents, the rain water is being diverted to the residential areas as the nearby paddy fields have been filled by a private construction company. “Earlier, the water from the residential areas used to reach the fields though various canals. Now, the streams are blocked owing to the filling of the fields causing water-logging in the residential areas,” said Sailesh,
a resident.
According to the residents, it has become difficult for them to live here. “We are having sleepless nights. We are stranded and have no other place to go. During night, water flows into the residential areas. We will have to live in this pathetic state for the next six months and every upcoming monsoon,” said a resident.
He added that the local people will initiate various protests against the private company which is constructing shopping mall by reclaiming the paddy field. “The project is a blatant violation of the Kerala Conservation of Paddy Land and Wetland Act, 2008. We have already brought the issue before District Administration and Maradu Municipality, but to no avail,” he said.
“We will start a relay hunger strike in front of the construction site from next day onwards. We demand halt of the construction work or arrangement of alternate facilities to divert the water,” he added.
Meanwhile Maradu Municipal chairman T K Devarajan said the private company had built a drain in the area which is sufficient to avoid waterlogging.
“Water is flowing out through the drain. People in the area has no complaint and it is a few others who are creating ruckus. Now, there is waterlogging but it will reduce as soon as the private company completes the construction of the drain immediately,” he said.