Kerala - Kochi   

Water scarcity at many places in city

Staff Reporter

Councillors told to report cases soon

KOCHI: Councillors of Kochi Corporation have been asked to give in writing the various demands of each ward regarding the problems with water supply. This was decided at a meeting with officials of Kerala Water Authority (KWA), Mayor Mercy Williams said here on Friday.

She was replying to the various complaints raised on water shortage in the city at the council meeting here. Councillors Chellamal and Winne Abraham pointed out that in many places large quantity of potable water was wasted because of the indifference of the KWA in providing proper maintenance.

It was Melly Joy who first raised the issue. Mercy George expressed her woes in getting tanker lorries to supply water to 150 houses where the pipes had gone dry. Uma Antony and Sheela Jerome too spoke about urgent steps to improve water supply.

Prem Kumar pointed out that there should be a system in place for supplying water through tanker lorries. Johnson Master and P.S. Biju complained of brackish water coming into the KWA pipes during high tide. Mr. Johnson and Padmanabhan Master also asked the Mayor to allow funds for the councillors to execute urgent work in their wards.

Some councillors demanded that a sketch of the Metro Rail project be made available to the council so that details like how many buildings and on what routes will have to be demolished would be known.

If the work on Metro Rail demands that seven metres of a road be closed, how will the traffic in Kochi be able to face the situation, said K.V. Manoj. He demanded that the Thammanam-Pullepady bridge and roads be completed before the Metro Rail comes in.

The Mayor replied that the Roads and Bridges Corporation of Kerala would be asked to expedite the Pullepady project.

Regarding the inclusion of Kochi as a beneficiary of National Urban Renewal Mission, where the projects will get 80 per cent grant from the Centre, Prof. Williams said that a steering committee would have to study and decide what is best for Kochi. It had been included in the Metropolis category where projects would be financed by 50 per cent grant from the Centre.

Many councillors raised the issue of the Italian film shooting disrupting the Corporation office at Fort Kochi. However, it was decided that there was nothing wrong in giving the office premises and the office for shooting as long as the public coming to the office was not disturbed.

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