The unexpected showers the city has been witnessing for some days have thrown a spanner in the district administration’s efforts to complete the works as part of Operation Anantha by December-end. Yet, the administration is confident of sticking to the deadline.
During an inspection to review the progress of the operation, Chief Secretary Jiji Thomson said the recent rain had rendered concreting impossible. “The inclement weather is likely to continue for another two or three weeks. However, we are satisfied with the progress that has been made and hope to complete the activities on time,” he said.
He said the work on the proposed breakwater at Veli lake would be launched at the earliest. The construction was necessary to prevent the reverse flow of waste that drained into the lake during high tide. The cost of the project had escalated to Rs.26 crore from the Rs.12 crore when it was initially proposed, five years ago.
Mr. Thomson said the flood mitigation drive had suffered several obstacles, mainly because a project of such scale had never been undertaken previously. “During the construction of drains at Attakulangara, the pillars of the Government Central High School were damaged and had to be strengthened. Such instances have resulted in additional expenditure for the drive which was unbudgeted in the first place.”
He expressed confidence that the completion of the works would resolve the problem of flooding to a large extent. The next phase of the drive would be launched in January 2016, Mr. Thomson added.
Referring to the High Court order that restrained the demolition of the Rajadhani Buildings, he said the government would seek the vacation of the stay order at the higher levels of the judiciary. “The court observation that the provisions of the Disaster Management Act could be invoked only during disasters cannot be justified,” he said.
The team of officials, including District Collector Biju Prabhakar, inspected works at Aristo Junction, Model School Junction, S.S. Kovil Road, Thiruvananthapuram Central Railway Station, East Fort, Abhedashram, Pazhavangady, Kothalam, Attakulangara, Sreevaraham, Kuriathy, Aryasala, Chalai and Ruby Nagar.
