KOCHI: The Kerala High Court has directed the Kochi corporation secretary to file an affidavit on the steps being initiated to clear filth from drains and to prevent the dumping and accumulation of plastic and other waste in drains, rivers and backwaters.
“The present situation regarding the drains in the city is turning into another Amayizhanchan Thode-like scenario of Thiruvananthapuram. Does the engineering department of the Kochi corporation have a sketch of all the drains in the city? Any idea of how the water flows? Where does it end up? The corporation must have an idea in this regard,” the court said.
A Division Bench comprising Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas and Justice Gopinath P held a special sitting on Monday and issued the order after noticing media reports about the food poisoning of a few children at an anganwadi in Ponnurunni. The news visuals indicated a drain that runs adjacent to the anganwadi, filled to the brim with filth.
“It is an embarrassment for the whole city, to witness such an accumulation of filth,” the Bench said.
The standing counsel for the corporation submitted that Ponnurunni is one of the well-maintained divisions of the corporation and that the drainage system is being attended to regularly. The officials are verifying the reason for the food poisoning as well as the accumulation of filth in the drain, he counsel said.
In response, the court asked what material is available other than oral submission to show that drains are being cleaned regularly. “Is there a track record that the corporation’s staff clean the drains regularly? The corporation should file a report with specific details,” the HC said.