The sub-committee mandated to look into the issues with regard to reclamation of land for the metro yard at Muttom has convened a meeting of all the stake holder agencies involved in the project to chalk out solutions.
“All the elected members of the Choornikkara panchayat have been directed to attend the meeting to be held at the Aluva palace on Tuesday and present their views,’’, official sources said. The four member committee, consisting of KMRL MD, Choornikkara panchayat president and chairman of both Aluva and Kalamassery municipalities, will be also carrying out a spot-visit to the metro yard site to take stock of the situation.
The priority of the committee will be to address all the issues, including setting up of a canal system before the onset of monsoon, they added.
Pointing out that the reclamation of land raised the threat of water clogging, experts accused the metro authority of unilaterally moving ahead with land filling operations without exploring alternative options. “The reclamation is taking place with no explicit approval from the local panchayat but with an exception from the State government. However, land reclamation is taking place in more than the 58 acres allotted for the project, causing severe damage to the eco-system,” said V.S. Vijayan, a leading ecologist, who visited the location last week. In addition to levelling the natural drainage system, reclamation of low-lying areas would also affect the source of drinking water in the long run, he added.
Commenting on the issue, K.K. Jamal, vice-president of Choornikkara panchayat said the issue of excess land reclamation was yet to come into their notice.
