The Hindu : Kerala / Thiruvananthapuram News : Panikkakudi residents put up with flooded road

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Friday, Nov 03, 2006
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Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

Panikkakudi residents put up with flooded road

Special Correspondent

Up in arms against the lethargic attitude of the authorities to act

WATER WORLD: Children wading through a flooded stretch of the Panikkakudi lane to reach Karikkakam High School. — Photo: S. Gopakumar

Thiruvananthapuram: It does not take a rainy day for the residents of the Panikkakudi lane to negotiate a flooded street. For the past several months, 250 families in the area bordering the Parvathy Puthanar canal have had to wade through ankle-deep water whenever they venture out of home.

The road leading to Karikkakam High School from the Vayanasala Junction remains waterlogged even during summer. Residents are up in arms against the failure of the administration to resolve the problem. The public outrage spilled out last month when local people blocked the road to highlight their plight.

The reclamation of paddy fields in the neighbourhood is cited as the primary cause for flooding of the low-lying area. The storm waters are diverted through a drain that empties into the canal through a culvert. "Recently, a portion of the drain near the culvert was blocked after a private party encroached upon the land and fenced it off," says Bhuvanachandran Chettiar, president of the Panikkakudi Lane Residents Association.

Residents have moved the Corporation, the district administration and the Government seeking their intervention, but to no avail. Two weeks ago, when the city witnessed heavy floods, a task force constituted by the Government removed the obstruction using earthmoving equipment. "The problem is bound to recur unless the encroachment is removed and the drain restored," says Mr. Chettiar.

Local people point out that children and teachers at the school are exposed to the risk of contracting infectious diseases from the stagnant water. During heavy rain, many of the houses in the neighbourhood are also flooded. The waterlogging has left the road deeply rutted.

Chakka ward councillor S. Ratheendran said the Government had allotted Rs.2 lakh to raise the road near the Vayanasala junction and provide a new drainage channel. He admits that it would take at least six months for the work to be taken up. But residents feel that the amount is insufficient for the work. They are preparing to move the district administration with a fresh memorandum to get the encroachment evicted.

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