“The Kerala High Court dismissing my plea to quash an FIR registered by the Ernakulam Town South Police alleging that I encroached on the land beside Chilavannur Lake [where soil excavation was under way for the Water Metro project] and obstructed KMRL officials in their duty, will be challenged before the Supreme Court,” V4Kochi leader Nipun Cherian said.
He maintained that he was willing to face trial before the court for the ‘fake’ case. But the police have not submitted a probe report and charge-sheet, nine months after the FIR was registered in September 2020. Many agencies are trying to protect people who did mass encroachment of Chilavannur, Perandoor and Edappally canals, although their illegal act resulted in these waterbodies losing their natural width in most places, he said.
Their original width must be ensured by readying and publishing a proper survey sketch. That a bund that was built across the Chilavannur backwaters to build a cycle track had to be dismantled is a pointer that such illegal constructions will have to be demolished, sooner or later. The Elamkulam village officer had objected to bund and other works over the lake. Canal rejuvenation projects worth hundreds of crores will go waste unless encroachers are removed, he added.
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