Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

Government urged to restore coastal areas

Special Correspondent

Corporation appeal to seek army’s help

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The City Corporation Council on Tuesday urged the Government for urgent measures to restore the coastal areas devastated by strong wave action and rehabilitate the displaced families. Moving an adjournment motion on the issue, Kannanthura ward councillor Solamon Vettukadu said the severe erosion had ravaged long stretches of the coastal belt of the city from Kovalam to Pallithura.

“Houses have been washed away, trees uprooted and boats and fishing equipment destroyed. The raging sea has consumed almost 200 metres of the coast. Residents are living in constant fear. A major portion of the Airport-Sanghumukham road has been damaged. Several Corporation roads have also been ravaged by the sea. The Public Works Department (PWD) has failed to take action despite the urgency of the situation”, Mr. Solamon said.

The resolution appealed to the Government to seek the army’s assistance to rehabilitate the families shifted to relief camps and to restore the damaged areas. It also called for the construction of sea walls to shore up the coastal area from Kovalam to Pallithura.

During the discussion on the issue, councillors cutting across party lines, highlighted the need to take up a permanent rehabilitation programme for the displaced families in the coastal belt. They said the annual cycle of displacement was a heavy burden on the district administration.

Poundukadavu ward councillor Veli Varghese said all the 12 coastal wards from Pallithura to Panathura were affected by the erosion. He said the failure of the district administration to take timely action was responsible for the magnitude of the losses. Sreevaraham councillor M.Sujanapriyan said the long term solution to the problem of frequent displacement was to identify the vulnerable areas and prevent housing there. Sanghumugham councillor Mary Viji called on the district administration to construct temporary sheds to accommodate the families that lose their houses to the sea.

Highlighting the plight of the people shifted to relief camps, Beemapally councillor Rasheed stressed the need to mobilise funds to help them. Deputy Mayor V.Jayaprakash said the Corporation was in constant touch with the Government for a programme to resolve the problems in the coastal areas. He said the Corporation was planning a comprehensive resettlement scheme under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM).

The council adopted a resolution calling on the Government for steps to check the increase in traffic accidents in the city. Moving the resolution, chairman of the Health standing committee G.R.Anil said 14 people had lost their lives in accidents involving public transport buses on the Nemom-Karamana road over the last 10 months. “Reckless driving, speeding and inexperienced drivers are the main reasons for the accidents. The Highway Police have failed to check violations of traffic rules”, he said.

The resolution called on the Government to enhance the compensation for the kin of road accident victims to Rs.10,000.

Councillors pointed out that streetlamps at many places were not functioning. They said PWD roads were badly maintained.

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