Steps to revive Pampa

Water Resources Minister N.K. Premachandran said here on Thursday that the government had taken steps to protect the Pampa river.

The Minister was inaugurating the work on the viewers' gallery at the finishing point of the Uthrittathi boat race near Sathram Kadavu on the banks of the Pampa at Aranmula.

He said the Pampa should be free of pollution and organisations like the Palliyoda Seva Sanghom should take a lead role in checking flow of waste generated at kitchens into the river, especially during the annual Vallasadya season.

Mr. Premachandran said the Pampa River Basin Authority meeting held in

Thiruvananthapuram recently had drawn up several projects aimed at conservation and rejuvenation of the river.

He said two modern sewage treatment plants would be set up at Pampa and Sannidhanam at an estimate cost of Rs.29.65 crore. Steps had been taken to complete the second phase of the Pampa Action Plan and to avail of the Euro Consultancy Service of the European Union for its implementation, he pointed out.

Facilities for regatta

Being a pilgrim tourism centre, Aranmula should have better basic facilities and the government was spending Rs.28 lakh for the smooth conduct of the annual snakeboat regatta on the Uthrittathi day during Onam festival, the Minister said.

He said a permanent solution would be found to clear the mud banks in the race course between Parappuzha Kadavu and Sathram Kadavu and the irrigation wing of the Water Resources Department would prepare a project for the same soon.

Mr. Premachandran said steps would be taken to construct the sewage treatment plant on the banks of the Pampa at Aranmula with financial assistance from the United Nations Development Programme before the next Onam season. He said State government would also make financial contributions, if needed, for its completion in a time-bound manner.

The viewers' gallery would be constructed at an estimated cost of Rs.28 lakh to accommodate 1,500 people.

K.C.Rajagopalan, MLA, presided over the function. K. Sivadasan Nair, MLA;

and Palliyoda Seva Sanghom president S. Ramachandrn Pillai were among those who spoke.