A new market constructed at Kaloor, spending crores of rupees, is lying unutilized, while the old market remains congested and dirty. Would the authorities concerned take steps to shift the market to the new building?
Manoj. K.P.,Vyttila
Collector Sheikh Pareeth
The Kaloor market belongs to Greater Cochin Development Authority (GCDA). GCDA have informed that they completed the Kaloor market project about 12 years ago and there were takers for only 50% of shops at that time. The remaining area was lying vacant. Due to poor accessibility and other reasons, the market has not flourished. Since the market was not functioning properly and had no more takers, the remaining shops have been given to one person for running a supermarket by remodelling the shops in the area. Though he demolished a part of the building, could not complete the project.
Under these circumstances the functioning of the market seems impossible. So it has been decided by GCDA to rehabilitate the existing shop owners to the adjacent plot on the western side of T.P. canal after constructing a new 3 storied building.
I am a resident of Maveli Road, Gandhi Nagar, Kadavanthra. I request Kochi Corporation to look into the issue of a huge garbage dump at one end of this road, making it impossible for pedestrians to walk along. Corporation workers come to collect the garbage daily but the place is never cleared of garbage fully.
The unbearable stench emanating from the dump makes it difficult for people to walk along the road. Stray dogs nosing around in the dump pose a threat to children and others.
Anand. V., Gandhi Nagar
Mayor Tony Chammany
As per the report by a team of officials, the location is thinly populated with relatively less traffic and hence chosen as one among the many network points for waste collection. No nearby place in the vicinity can be chosen as a waste collection point because of the presence of schools, places of worship and heavy traffic. A team of Kudumbashree workers have been collecting garbage from this point on a daily basis and is waste cleared from this area by 11:00 a.m. I have instructed the officials to be meticulous in removing the garbage. Littering and fly-tipping in thinly populated areas also add to the volume of waste on roads. Such acts point to the apathy of some citizens towards keeping the city clean. This is a serious issue and the corporation is planning a system for catching such people with the support of local residents. Surveillance cameras are also being installed at many locations in the city to catch people who dump waste on roadsides, drains, junctions and thinly inhabited areas such as yours. The issue of stray dogs need to be addressed seriously. There are very strict laws and we will have to work within these laws to tackle this issue. I am sure we will be able to address this issue with the support of the government, SPCA and other organisations.
Compiled by K.K. Sankaran
