Kerala - Kochi   

Encroachments: road map to be prepared

Staff Reporter

The banks of Thevara-Perandoor canal have 246 encroachers

KOCHI: A road map for evicting the encroachments along Thevara-Perandoor canal is what the civic authorities have in mind as the deadline set by the Kerala High Court for completing the eviction is fast approaching.

The Kerala High Court has set August 27 as the deadline for the Corporation to complete the eviction process.

A team of civic representatives and officials of the Corporation will visit the banks of the canal on Monday for assessing the field realities and to prepare the road map for eviction.

The shortage of funds and availability of land for rehabilitating the 246 encroachers are the biggest challenge before the civic body in implementing the directives of the High Court.

The maximum number of encroachers on the canal is on the Thevara-PVS hospital stretch. Though less in number, there also encroachments along the Chittoor-Gokulam Park hotel stretch, chairman of the Town Planning Standing committee of the Corporation E.M. Sunilkumar said.

Meeting mooted

The civic body is planning to convene a meeting of a few donors for raising funds for the rehabilitation of the families that are to be evicted. Under the present system, the Corporation can support the families to the extent of Rs.40,000 each for constructing house and that too for those who have some land in their name. However, the civic body is aware that the amount will be insufficient for building houses, said Mr. Sunilkumar.

The Corporation is not keen on shifting the encroachers from along the banks and creating a new slum in the city elsewhere. The evictees should be supported for obtaining decent residential accommodation as majority of them belong to the financially weaker section of society, he said.

The civic body had earlier convened a meeting of representatives of political parties and Corporation councillors from the region to discuss the issue. Kochi Mayor Mercy Williams, chairman of the Development Standing Committee K.J. Sohan and Mr. Sunilkumar had attended the meeting.

The Corporation will approach the High Court with a prayer for granting three more months to complete the eviction process.

The Corporation has included an ambitious project for making the banks of the canal, which runs through the heart of the city, one of the major tourist destinations.

According to the proposal included in the City Development Plan (CDP), the Corporation proposes to develop three metre-wide roads along the banks of the canal so as to prevent any further encroachment.

Proposals for constructing flight of stairs on the banks of the canal and provide street furniture there for converting the place into a leisure spot is also envisaged in the CDP.

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