HC grants govt. two weeksto file affidavit on Phase II of seawall construction
The Kerala High Court has granted two weeks to the State Government to file an affidavit on commencing the construction of the second phase of
The Kerala High Court has granted two weeks to the State Government to file an affidavit on commencing the construction of the second phase of the tetrapod-based seawall linking Chellanam with Fort Kochi. This was after the government sought time to file a report in the form of an affidavit, setting out the steps taken in this regard following the lifting of the model code of conduct for the Legislative Assembly polls.
This followed a petition filed before the High Court in 2021 by V.T. Sebastian, general convenor of the Chellanam-Kochi Janakeeya Vedhi, seeking sustainable measures to end heavy sea incursion along the densely populated coastal stretch and the damage caused to houses and other structures in its wake. A Division Bench of Chief Justice Soumen Sen and Justice Syam Kumar V.M. has posted the matter for hearing on July 8.
The Vedhi had recently announced that it would intensify its over 2,400-day-long agitation. The organisation’s main grievance is the lack of progress in the second phase of the tetrapod-based seawall project, which was launched ahead of the Assembly elections. The second phase, covering a 6.10-km stretch from Puthenthode to Manassery at an estimated cost of ₹404 crore under the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB), was inaugurated on March 7.
In the absence of a seawall, several houses along the coast had been destroyed over the years, while many others had suffered damage. The first phase of the project, covering a 7.3-km stretch from Chellanam to Puthenthode, had been completed at a cost of ₹347 crore.
The BriefWire