Govt. urged to take up flood control projects

By Our Staff Reporter

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, OCT. 8. The Thampanoor ward councillor and DCC vice-president, Mr. Satheesh, has urged the Government to take up flood control and drainage modernisation projects on a war footing.

Addressing a press conference here today, he said many of the flood control projects launched by the Government and the city Corporation in recent years had failed to achieve their purpose due to the lack of coordination between different agencies. He said some of the departments including the Railways, Irrigation, PWD and Drainage were working at cross purposes, affecting the progress of the projects.

Mr. Satheesh said a Rs. 11-lakh project taken up by the Irrigation Department to reconstruct 22 manholes and widen the connecting pipes on the Subramaniam road and Manjalikulam road had been held up by the PWD on technical grounds. Observing that most of the roads in the ward were flooded by leaking sewage and studded with potholes, he appealed to the PWD to permit resumption of the project.

Mr. Satheesh said a Rs. 12-crore project taken up by the National Project Construction Corporation for construction of a sewage pumping station had come to a halt for want of funds. He urged the Government to renegotiate the terms of a loan of Rs. 18 crores offered by HUDCO.

Mr. Satheesh said the recent announcement of a Rs. 15-crore flood control project was followed by a decision to cut the allocation to Rs. 3.75 crores, exposing the Government's lack of sincerity. He said the residents of the Thampanoor ward were the worst-affected.

He urged the Government to take up a project to repair the damaged roads in the Thampanoor ward and upgrade the sewage system. He said the ward residents would block the Subramaniam road and Manjalikulam road on September 16 to mark their protest at the Government's `apathy'. Mr. Satheesh said he would stage a satyagraha at the Sreekumar theatre junction.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : Southern States
Previous : State has no surplus water: T.M. Jacob
Next     : Bomb scare turns out to be a false alarm