The Hindu      19.02.2015   

Polluted canals in city to be cleaned up

The heavily polluted and stagnant canals in the city may get a fresh lease of life shortly.

A meeting chaired by Minister for Urban Affairs Manjalamkuzhi Ali at Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday decided to commission a detailed study for drawing up a project for cleaning and rejuvenating polluted canals in the city. The Kerala State Urban Development Project has been entrusted with undertaking a feasibility study.

Poor state

Mr. Ali convened a meeting on the issue after noticing the pitiable state of a canal during his visit to the city to lay the foundation stone for the new bridge being built by the Greater Cochin Development Authority at Manappattyparambu.

A slew of canals, including the Thevara-Perandoor canal, Karanakodam canal, Mantra canal, Pandarachal and Pallichal, are overdue for cleaning. Besides, purification of the water in the canal and side embankment also needs to be done.

Funds promised

The Minister promised enough funds for the project and assistance to identify and resolve the issues in the renovation of canals.

MLAs Dominic Presentation, Benny Behanan, and Hibi Eden; Mayor Tony Chammany, municipal chairmen’s chamber chairman Jamal Manakkadan also attended the meeting.

The Hindu      29.01.2015   

‘Need prevention programmes against chronic diseases’

Babu M. Pallissery, MLA, addressing a workshop at KILA, Mulangunnathukavu, on Wednesday. — Photo: By special arrangement

: The state needs adequate preventive programmes to check increasing number of chronic diseases, Babu M. Pallissery, MLA, has said.

He was addressing the workshop on comprehensive development project for Kunnamkulam Assembly constituency organised by the Kerala Institute of Local Administration at Mulangunnathukavu, near here on Wednesday.

“About 80 per cent of people who are booking tickets from Guruvayur to Thiruvananthapuram are going to Regional Cancer Centre. The number of renal diseases is also increasing regularly. The use of vegetables contaminated by deadly pesticides is one of the reasons.”

Mr. Pallissery said we should be able to address the issue by organic farming of vegetables.

We need effective measures to address the waste management problem and drinking water shortage, he noted.

Kunnamkulam Municipality Chairman V.K. Unnikrishnan, block pranchayat presidents from Wadakkanchery, Chovvannur, panchayat presidents from Kadavallur, Porkkulam, Chovvannur, Erumappetty, Velur and Kattakambal, Standing Committee Chairpersons, and officials from various local bodies participated in the meeting.