The residents of Chellanam have expressed apprehension about the possibility of the most vulnerable areas of the coastal village not getting protection during the next rainy season, although the establishment of tetrapods is starting soon.
Samples of tetrapods to be deployed for coastal security have been kept ready and officials expect the work to be completed in 19 months.
MLA KJ Maxi, who visited the tetrapod manufacturing site, had said on Saturday that the process could be expedited.
TA Dolphin of the Pachima Kochi Thera Conservation Society said 19 months seemed like an unrealistic goal, given that no ground work had been done to create the tetrapods. There are practical difficulties associated with their construction as well as their transportation to the coastal areas where they will be deployed.
survey conducted
He said a survey was done to build a road to take the tetrapods from the construction site to the shore. Large cranes would be needed to lift the structures and move them to shore. VT Sebastian of the Chelanam Samyukta Samara Samiti said that the construction work on such a large scale had to mobilize men, machinery and materials, and the process was time-consuming. The project, awarded to the Uralunkal Labor Contract Cooperative Society, involves work on 7.5 km of the coastal stretch. The cost of the project is ₹240 crore.
He said the Janakiya Samiti has been on the path of protest since 819 days and is demanding work to protect the entire stretch of coast from Chellanam to Fort Kochi, which is 17.5 km long.
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