The city is pinning its infrastructure development hopes on the State Budget to be presented by Finance Minister K.N. Balagopal in the State Assembly on February 3.
The Kochi Corporation expects the support of the State government to take forward two major road projects — Goshree-Mamangalam and Palluruthy Parallel roads. However, it was to be seen whether the government would take up the projects, said civic authorities.
Kochi has asked for ₹30-crore assistance to take Operation Breakthrough, the flood mitigation programme, to a logical conclusion. The civic body needs some hand-holding for completing the project. A few new drains have been proposed to take floodwaters from the city roads to the backwaters to avert flooding. State support is required for drain work. A representation was submitted to the Finance Minister in that regard, said Mayor M. Anilkumar.
The support of the State government has been sought for putting up a flood mitigation facility in the Palluruthy area. A facility like ‘petti’ and ‘para’, the age-old mechanism for draining away floodwaters, needs to be installed. The city needs to put in place some mechanisms in areas such as Edappally where flooding was recently reported. A request for assistance for such projects was also submitted to the Finance Minister for his consideration and inclusion in the annual budget, said Mr. Anilkumar.
With the city frequently experiencing flooding, the drains need to be cleaned up round the year. The Chennai Corporation has installed such a facility. Kochi will require around ₹15 crore for setting it up. The civic body had set apart ₹7.5 crore from its kitty and is looking for another ₹7.5 crore for the project, said the Mayor.
Financial aid from the government is also required for sprucing up the tourism zone of Fort Kochi. A literary festival is also on the civic body’s wish list. A scheme for promoting terrace farming had also been proposed, he added.
