Even as the efforts to rescue a temporary sanitation worker who went missing in the Amayizhanjan canal progressed, a political blame game began with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) accusing the city Corporation of failed waste management practices. Meanwhile, General Education Minister V. Sivankutty and Mayor Arya Rajendran blamed the Railways for failing to clear the stretch of the canal which passes through its property. The Minister has also sought a report on the incident from the District Collector.
BJP State president K. Surendran held the Corporation responsible for the worker’s plight. In a statement, he said that garbage flows through canals and drains in the city, as the civic body has failed to remove or process it. “The civic body also failed in pre-monsoon cleaning activities. This approach of the authorities could lead to the spread of vector-borne diseases. Though crores of funds have reached the Corporation for waste management and other allied activities, it has failed to utilise these effectively,” alleged Mr. Surendran.
Mr. Sivankutty said that the Railways have never allowed either the Corporation or the State government to clean the narrow part of the canal close to the Central Railway Station. The local people have alleged that the Railways has this time contracted inexperienced workers to clean the canal. Protective equipment were also not provided. The Railways cannot shy away from the responsibility of this accident, said Mr. Sivankutty.
