The Kerala High Court on Friday directed the State government to issue an order prohibiting dumping of garbage into the Perandoor canal.
Justice Devan Ramachandran, while hearing writ petitions filed by K.J. Treasa and a resident of Gandhingar, also said that the order should specifically direct citizens not to dump or deposit garbage and other waste into the canal.
The order should be issued in two weeks, the court ordered. It also directed the authorities to install boards containing the gist of the order along the canal to alert the public.
The court asked the Kochi Corporation to take necessary steps to stop dumping of garbage into the waterbody by initiating action again violators.
The Bench also directed the District Police Chief (Kochi City) and other police officers to give implicit assistance to the corporation for taking action against violators.
The Advocate General (AG) submitted that the original width of the canal was 16.5 metres. The survey to identify encroachers along 3.5 metres is over. It needs two more months to complete the survey along the entire stretch of the canal. Eviction of encroachers is a challenge as they have to be rehabilitated. The project to clean up the canal is on the anvil, he submitted.
The court reminded people that the canal was once a freshwater stream, and that it had now become a sewage canal.
The amicus curiae in the case submitted that all drain pipes from hostels, hospitals, and flats emptied into the canal and called for the closure of the drain outlets.
The court adjourned the petitions to November 15 for further hearing.
