THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Efforts are in full swing to link the National Waterways further south by restoring the Anantha-Victoria-Marthandam Canal or AVM Canal that was constructed in the 1800s to connect Kovalam and Kanyakumari. The Coastal Shipping and Inland Navigation Department has engaged NATPAC (National Transportation Planning and Research Centre) to carry out a feasibility study to develop and restore the canal that has remained neglected for decades. The canal was constructed during the Travancore era to connect northern Kerala with Kanyakumari. The National Waterways Act of 2016 declared the AVM canal as the National Waterway 13 of India.
According to sources, the state government is forced to take up the restoration work of the canal because the Tamil Nadu government has already started developing the stretches of the canal which extends to Colachal in the Kanyakumari district.
“It’s part of the National Waterways and we cannot keep neglecting the canal network that has roots in our ancient history. There is widespread encroachment along the AVM Canal, especially in Poovar. Many private resorts and hoteliers have made encroachment and it’s going to be a tough task reclaiming the canal,” said an official source.
The canal passes through coastal villages in Thiruvananthapuram, including Pozhiyoor, Poovar and Marthandanthurai, Thengapattanam, Colachel and Madaikadu in Kanyakumari district. Former chief minister of Tamil Nadu Jayalalitha had plans to revive the canal but the project went into limbo and the current government has initiated efforts to revive the canal.
Meanwhile, efforts to develop the West Coast Canal network in Thiruvananthapuram district are gaining pace. According to sources, the revenue department will issue the 4(1) notification next week to widen the 16-kilometre-long Parvathy Puthanar which is part of the National Waterways.
The project is being jointly implemented by the Coastal Shipping and Inland Navigation Department and Kerala Waterways Infrastructure Limited (KWIL) – a special purpose vehicle (SPV) of Cochin International Airport Ltd (CIAL), and the state government.
According to officials, the social impact study would be launched soon ahead of negotiations with private parties for land acquisition. KIIFB (Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board) has already sanctioned Rs 247.2 crore for the rehabilitation project. As many as 1,275 families residing on the banks of the Kovalam-Varkala waterways would be rehabilitated soon. An official of KWIL said the project will take off as soon as the land acquisition procedures are done. “An amount of `1 lakh would be released to the families residing on the banks of the canal for immediate relocation so that they can move into a rented home. Those are clear encroachments and they would be given compensation when the land acquisition procedures are over,” said an official.
HYDRAULIC BRIDGE WORK FAST PROGRESSING
The work on one of the three hydraulic steel bridges being installed along the 18.5-km-long Kovalam-Akkulam waterway is fast progressing at Karikkakom in the state capital. The steel bridge, being installed at the cost of Rs3.5 crore, would become operational soon.
“The bridge at Karikkakom will be completed within two or three months and the preparatory work of the second hydraulic bridge has started at Panathura,” said an official. The plan is to widen the canal to 25 metres with a five-metre-wide service road on both sides complying with the specifications of the Inland Waterways Authority of India. It is expected to be completed by March 2025.