KOCHI: Election campaigning is in full gear in the city. While Kochiites have plunged into the poll mood whole-heartedly, they are equally vocal about their demands and priorities. Traffic congestion, waste woes, infrastructure development caught in red-tape and depleting open spaces figure in the city's list of concerns."Kochi is very unplanned. Though its growth has been tremendous in the last few years, we have been unable to address some very key issues.
For example, a number of flyovers and ROB's have been built to alleviate the traffic. However, even today, traffic congestion continues to haunt Kochiites. This is probably because authorities have failed to address parallel projects in a timely manner such as road widening and junction development. This is especially evident in the case of Palarivattom, AL Jacob ROBs among others," said Dileepkumar KS, secretary, TD Roads Citizens Welfare Association.
According to him, parking woes continue to plague the city. "In the past, MG Road was the city's prime location. Not anymore. Today, Kaloor-Kathrikadavu and Kadavanthara are turning into commercial hotspots with a slew of investments in the area. However, our vision in alleviating parking woes in the city limits is extremely limited. In the future, if this is not addressed, we would have a number of shops which fails to lure in customers because of parking issues," he said.
While Kochi reels under transportation woes, the waste policies need to change, said Kabeer Harun, former MD of Clean Kerala Company. "For a city like Kochi, decentralisation procedures would have been ideal. However, we have adopted the centralised procedures at Brahmapuram Plant owing to several limitations. However, it is not being used to its full potential. Though food waste is being treated to a large extent, plastic continues to mount at the Plant making it impossible to be treated. Willpower is required to solve the waste crisis in the city," said Kabeer.
He said politicians should immediately focus on making the waste-to-energy plant a reality. "The project was inaugurated in 2014. However, five years down the line, we still are yet to receive an environmental clearance. The plant is effective in treating plastic in a mechanised manner, without the use of manual labour which is why this is the perfect solution," he said.
Kochiites are also demanding to solve the railway woes at the earliest. "We have huge potential in the railway sector. Though parliamentarians have focused on railway projects, such as the revival of the Cochin Harbour Terminus, they have not been able to maintain it. We had golden opportunities to develop the Old Railway Station but it continues to remain stagnant. We need politicians who can address the woes of the railway commuters," said Anilkumar CD, secretary, Karikkamuri Residents' Association.