KOCHI: The ombudsman for local self-government institutions Gopinath P visited the Thevara market on Saturday to review the work on the Thevara-Perandoor (TP) canal. Interestingly, the work has been in progress since 2017 under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (Amrut) project. Following the visit, the ombudsman noted that no work had been carried out at the TP Canal, as stated by the Kochi corporation officials.
Responding to a complaint filed by RTI activist Cheshire Tarzan, who alleged the corporation failed to undertake any canal work, Gopinath directed the councillors to convene a special council meeting and expedite the canal project before the monsoon season.
“Kochi corporation officials claim that work to the tune of around Rs 36 crore has been done at the canal but there is no proof of where this money was spent,” Tarzan alleged.
He said a hearing was held last week on a complaint he had filed in 2018.“I told the judge that a protection wall was not built and desilting and cleaning of the canal had not been carried out, whereas the Kochi corporation official said that a protection wall was built up to 30 metres,” he said.
Further hearing has been posted to March 12. “The judge said he would announce his observation following the visit on the day of the hearing. However, he directed the councillors to hold a special council and complete the work at the earliest,” said UDF councillor M G Aristotle.
A 300m-long protection wall has to be built along the canal and needs to be completed within this month as the funds for the purpose are allocated under the Amrut scheme.
“Despite the allocation of funds, the officials failed to carry out dredging in the canal. Also, there were encroachments on the canal. The corporation had already decided to keep the mouth of the Thevara-Perandoor canal clean and free from the accumulation of waste for easy water flow. For this, funds were allocated under the Amrut 1 scheme to build a side wall. A total of Rs 16 crore was allocated. The project has been revised but no work is being done,” Aristotle said.
The 10.5-km canal, starting from Thevara and ending at Perandoor in Vaduthala, passes right through the centre of the city, covering prime and thickly populated places such as Panampilly Nagar, Kadavanthra and Kaloor. It also passes adjacent to the Ernakulam Junction railway station and the KSRTC bus station.