The inordinate delay in resuming the natural stream restoration work at Aranmula that began on the directions of the Kerala High Court a year ago has raised much apprehension among the farming community and other villagers.
The stream has only been partially restored and it required removal of earth from the illegally converted stream portion along 1.5 km more for completion of the work, people’s action council spokesperson Shaji Chacko has said.
The restoration of the Karimaramthode began after a villager, V.Mohanan, had moved the High Court seeking its intervention for executing the Land Revenue Commissioner’s order of November 10, 2012 for restoration of the natural stream (puramboke thode) to facilitate cultivation at Aranmula Puncha. The court, on June 16, 2014, ordered restoration of the stream to its original condition within the next one month itself.
But the district administration launched the work only on June 29, 2015 and that too when the petitioner filed a contempt petition against the District Collector.
In yet another affidavit, Mr. Mohanan stated that the stream restoration work was abruptly stopped on August 19, 2015.
Though the Collector had entrusted the work with Abraham Kalamannil of the Mount Zion Trust who had filled a sizable portion of the Karimaramthode for an airport project a decade ago, the work was stopped on more than one occasion. The work was again stopped from April first week and the Collector’s promise to resume the work in the second week of June too failed to materialise, says Mr. Chacko
K.P. Sreeranganathan, environmentalist says it is estimated that around 20,000 lorry loads of earth has to be scooped out for restoring the stream.
Restoration of the stream to its original position and clearing of the block in the Valiyathode stream near the Nalkalickal bridge was what was primarily needed for launching cultivation at Aranmula Puncha, he said.
