Puthanar eviction to hit 1,500 people

Thiruvananthapuram: Not less than 1,500 people would have to be evicted from the banks of Parvathi Puthanar for realising the National Waterways (NW) project.  Though presently Rs 80 crore has been earmarked, the actual costs might exceed this, say irrigation officials.  The waterway stretches until Varkala tunnel before being connected to the existing 168-km Kollam-Kottapuram stretch linking southern and northern parts of the state opened early last year.

A preliminary survey identified some 2,400 encroachments at Attipra, Pettah, Kadakampally and Muttathara wards in the city.  A Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) was floated in collaboration with Cochin International Airport Ltd to oversee the project. Additional land has to be acquired at Vallakkadavu and Edayar near Poonthura to maintain its width at 25 metres.   The irrigation officials expect a long legal battle as many of the alleged encroachers had title deeds. Those who will be ready to settle might get houses under the LIFE scheme of state government. 

The houses that sit on many plots on the bank of the human-made river also pay tax to the corporation. Around Rs 80 crore has been earmarked for the works along Parvathy Puthanar. The canal on West Coast will be part of National Waterway 3 that connects Kovalam in the south with Neeleswaram in the north once completed.  The chief minister, Pinarayi Vijayan, had recently announced that the project would be completed by 2020.