High Court forms panel to monitor work on city canals.

Source – thehindu.com

The Kerala High Court on Friday constituted a monitoring committee to verify the progress of work proposed by the Government for maintenance of the drainage system and major canals in the city.

Justice Devan Ramchandran constituted the committee with member secretary, Kerala State legal Services Authority (KELSA), as its convenor and secretary, Ernakulam District Legal Services Authority, Amicus Curiae, and the District Medical Officer as members and the District Collector as ex-officio member.

The court ordered the committee to verify the progress of work and file a report by February 5. It also directed the panel to ensure that the Kochi Corporation carry out the day-to-day cleaning of canals and drains. The court passed the order on a petition on cleaning of the Thevara-Perandoor canal.

Operation Breakthrough

When the petition came up for hearing, the Advocate General pointed out that 202 projects had been identified under Operation Breakthrough, a pilot project to ensure maintenance of the drainage system and canals. As many as 36 projects have been identified for immediate execution.

The Government has allocated ₹65 crore for the projects, and ₹10 crore has been sanctioned from the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) and kept ready for disbursement for 36 projects. The initiative will be completed by March.

The court expressed hope that the State would disburse the remaining ₹55 crore as and when a requisition was made by the high level committee.

The court directed the Government to ensure that there was no delay in disbursement of funds, especially because the completion of the projects was of the highest priority.