The drive to free stormwater drains in the city of encroachments, which began on May 2 after sudden flooding of the railway station and bus terminal areas at Thampanoor and East Fort during the heavy rain in April end, continued on Sunday with several illegal constructions along Kariyilathode at Muttathara, being pulled down.
A team of officials from the Revenue Department, with assistance of Fire and Rescue Services personnel and the police, began the drive Sunday early morning to remove illegal structures, including boundary walls of houses and shops, constructed along 4- km stretch of Kariyilathode from Neyyaseri to Sangamam Nagar at Muttathara.
The encroachments had reduced width of the canal considerably, in some places even reducing its size from the original 5 m to 2 m, said a senior official with the Revenue Department.
The encroachment drive code named Operation Anantha, would continue in the Muttathara area for the next two days before moving to other parts of the city.
A giant peepal tree, which stood as a hindrance to widening of the Pazhavangady canal, near the Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple was cut down despite resistance from certain right-wing groups and local residents.
Threat to safety
“We faced initial resistance but they agreed to remove the tree after we explained to them the necessity. The tree was not just hindrance to widening of the canal but also posed a threat to public safety,” the official said.
The canal is being widened by 3 m as part of flood mitigation measures.
After clearing Kariyilathode, the focus will be on clearing encroachments along stormwater drains at Sasthamangalam and Pattom areas in the city.
The operation has seen encroachments in the Pazhavangady, East Fort, Chala, Kuriathy and Thampanoor stretches of crucial canals being cleared.
A project to construct rainwater harvesting pit and a pond at the Manjalikulam ground is fast progressing, the official said.
The Kerala Sustainable Urban Development Project, Public Works Department, Kerala Road Fund Board and Minor Irrigation Department have started works to repair stretches in canals where encroachments were removed during Operation Anantha.