KOCHI: The prime role of any corporation is to provide basic civic amenities. The list includes good-conditioned roads, street lights, waste management, clean public toilets, maintenance of public places, bus shelters, etc. How has the Kochi Corporation fared?
Dismal, say the city’s residents. They point to the poorly maintained roads, dilapidated footpaths, garbage menace, the lack of clean public toilets... and the civic body’s inherent lethargy in initiating change.
Lack of public toilets
In 2015, Kochi ranked 5th in the Swachh Survekshan sanitation survey. It slipped to 324th rank by 2021. The dearth of public toilets was one of the major reasons for the fall. Women’s activist Suma Madhu, who runs a grocery shop in Kadavanthara, says the issue of public toilets has been dragging on for years. “The world is advancing by leaps and bounds, and here we are still stuck with an age-old issue!” she says. “Have you ever faced the trauma of having to suppress nature’s call due to the lack of a clean public toilet? It’s exasperating, especially for women. Even at places where there are, have you seen the conditions? Filthy and unusable.”
George Thomas, a regular jogger at the Marine Drive walkway, echoes similar views. “The corporation must ensure clean toilets at public places such as beaches, parks, walkways, bus stands, etc. Maintenance is also important. The public toilet at the Marine Drive walkway was shut for over a year. It was opened only a few days ago. More needs to be done,” says Architect S Gopakumar of the Better Kochi Response Group says it is willing to construct toilets at 20 locations, if the authorities provide land. “We have submitted proposals to several officials. A major hurdle is land allocation,” he says.
Many public toilets constructed by the corporation are locked up or in a dilapidated state. Notably, even the toilet complex near the corporation’s zonal office in Vyttila has remained closed for the past two years.
Raising a stink
“The city is immensely beautiful with backwaters and beaches. However, the poor upkeep of the popular spots such as Marine Drive and the Fort Kochi beach is due to the lackadaisical attitude of the civic body and other agencies,” says social activist Ranjith Thampy. “Similarly, the stretch near the warehouse at Gandhinagar has turned into a dumping yard, with the corporation turning a blind eye.”
Bus shelters
Numerous daily commuters at several prominent locations in the city are forced to wait for buses either under the scorching sun or in the rain. Many bus stops have neither the roofs nor seats. Kochi Metro Passengers Forum founder Ebenser C L blames the lack of planning for the inconvenient bus shelters in the city. “There is no particular design plan for bus stops here,” he notes. “For example, in Jaipur, the administration has introduced a console-like design for bus stops, which can be easily shifted from one place to another. In Kochi, the bus stops are designed in such a way that they don’t really help passengers.”
Ebenser, who is a lawyer, also slams the seating at some bus stops. “It has little utility,” he says. “The two rod-like structures are placed for passengers to rest while they wait for the bus. However, the science behind how to comfortably sit on them is beyond the common man’s knowledge!”
A glaring example of poor planning and management is the air-conditioned bus stop near the Civil Station at Kakkanad, says Ebenser. “Lakhs of rupees were spent to build it. However, most of the time, it remains locked. If it was meant to be closed, why build something like that?” he wonders.
There should be uniform designs for bus shelters across the city, adds Ebenser. “As for roads in India, the Indian Road Congress lays down the design standards and provides a platform for exchanging expertise and latest research developments. A similar body should be set up here for designing bus stops and other public amenities,” he says.
Crammed footpaths, dangling cables
Several footpaths in the city offer little relief to pedestrians, says Ajith Kumar P C, general secretary of Ernakulam District Residents’ Associations’ Apex Council (EDRAAC). “Take MG Road, for instance. You can see numerous cable dangling, posing a hazard to the public. There are many pocket road, too, that have low-hanging cables that pose a danger. The authorities should take immediate action to remove them.”
He also highlights the issue of illegal parking and makeshift shops on footpaths. “Encroachment should stop. Footpaths are meant only for pedestrians,” he says. K Muraleedharan, an octogenarian, is disappointed that the city is still plagued by such issues. “Kochi is one of the most beautiful places in Kerala,” he says. “But, due to lack of interest among the authorities, the city remains messy. Of course, a lot has changed. But the local body has failed to keep up the work, be it infrastructural or the maintenance. Intent matters.”
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‘Make officials accountable’
Former GCDA town planner Elizabeth Phillip says the corporation should put officials in charge of specific areas in the city. “Right from the construction to the maintenance, there must be an in-charge who is made accountable for all the works,” she adds. “It should be that official’s responsibility to report any damage or repair work related to roads, footpaths, etc, to the corporation and get it done.”