While the whole world was planting trees on World Environment Day on Thursday, some saplings in Kozhikode received quite a rough treatment.
On Thursday morning, the residents of the Eranhipalam region in the city were shocked to see that the saplings they had planted and nurtured along the new Sarovaram Biopark Road were covered by mud and garbage that had been dredged out of the nearby Conolly Canal.
The cleaning of the Conolly Canal has been going on for a couple of months now and the waste removed is often removed instantly. However, the workers turned negligent on Wednesday and Thursday, as they scooped out the waste and deposited it on the roadside, most often ruining saplings that had been planted the previous World Environment Day or similar occasions by the authorities, local clubs or residents’ associations. The waste destroyed some of the saplings, which collapsed under the weight of the garbage piled on them. Also, the waste has dirtied many parts of the Sarovaram Biopark Road, deemed as a model road, opened recently. Waste has also been dumped along a newly built badminton court, the residents complained.
“We try to keep the road clean and have also been very careful about the saplings. We used to water them regularly even when we had to fetch it from the canal. It is sad to see them in this state,” said I. K. Biju, secretary of the Eranhipalam Palat Residents Association. The association has submitted a complaint to the District Collector in this regard.
Meanwhile, Briju Lal, Overseer of Irrigation Department, said that the situation was being rectified. He said that the waste would be removed soon.
Meanwhile, the department had completed 80 per cent of the work on the canal. Minor works like building a sidewall at Karapparamba and completing dredging at some narrow stretches remained, he said. The Department had planned to complete the work before the onset of the monsoon, but there was a slight delay. If the monsoon strengthened fast, there would be further delay, he said.
