The Kerala High Court has directed the Kochi Corporation to widen the drain on the southern side of the Shenoy crossroad at Kathrukadvu through the private land of five residents to prevent flooding in the area during monsoon.
Justice Devan Ramachandran ordered that widening be done in a month. The order came on a petition filed by some of the residents in the areas. They pointed out that the drain had no sufficient width at the stretch of the road and as a result, the flow of storm and drain water was restricted at this stretch of the drain.
When the petition came up for hearing, counsel for the owners of private land submitted that they had absolutely no objection to widening the drain. However, it should be done from both sides, ie. from the western and the eastern side of the existing one and not merely from their properties.
Counsel for the Corporation submitted that if the court permitted, the Corporation would immediately begin the works of widening the drain so that there would be no inundation when the monsoon sets in. Counsel added that the width of the drain got reduced on account of encroachments by various persons.
The court observed that it would not be possible for this court to enter into the questions of encroachments at this time, because of the impending monsoons, which is likely to hit the shores of Kerala by the end of May or the first week of June. What was required by the petitioners was that the drain be widened sufficiently, so that there would be no flooding in future.
The court made it clear that merely because the drain was widened, it would not be up to the Corporation to claim the land to be their own, but would have only the right to conduct periodical maintenance and cleaning, for which the owners of the land would give it full access.
The court also ordered that after widening the drain to the required depth it should be covered with slabs.
