Coming down heavily on the Kochi Corporation for the sluggish progress of pre-monsoon works, particularly desilting of canals and drains to mitigate waterlogging in the city, the Kerala High Court observed that the desilting of drains remained incomplete in most areas.
On perusing a status report filed by the counsel for the civic body, the court noted that over 50% of the works had been completed in only a few locations, while in most places the progress was limited to around 30%.
Expressing strong displeasure, the court remarked that the Corporation was effectively wasting public funds by carrying out desilting during the monsoon. “Here, the magic happened. The money has also gone down the drain. Of course, it flows not into the Arabian Sea, but into somebody’s pocket,” it noted.
Making a particular reference to ₹7.44 lakh that had been estimated for desilting small drains at Vyttila, the court observed that no work had been completed. Similarly, only 20% to 40% of the work had been done in Fort Kochi. The court reminded that these were public funds and reiterated that desilting should have been initiated in January or February and completed by May 15 at the latest. Every official concerned would be held accountable, if there were flooded roads in the city during this monsoon, the court said.
The court directed the Corporation to execute the remaining works on a war footing and to file an additional report by Thursday (May 29). The counsel for the Public Works department informed the court that the footpath restoration work on MG Road would be completed by June 30. The court underscored the importance of restoring the footpaths of MG Road and made it clear that it would not brook any excuse from stakeholders.
Published – May 24, 2025 02:19 am IST