The Hindu                     06.04.2013

Administration cracks the whip to keep channel clean

The facility has become an eyesore, says Collector.

With there being very little to distinguish the complainants from the culprits vis a vis the deplorable condition of the Kodappamund channel which cuts through the town, the district administration has decided to crack the whip and concerned observers are hoping that it will produce the desired results. The channel has been identified as the main source of pollution of the Ooty Lake, which is now in the process of being cleaned at a cost of Rs. 4.27 crore.

However in cleaning the channel, the authorities concerned are finding themselves in a one-step- forward-two steps backward situation.

Their regret is that on the one hand complaints from various sections of the society about the appalling condition of the channel is mounting and on the other its misuse, mostly by the same persons, is continuing notwithstanding warning signs put up by the district administration and the Public Works Department-Water Resources Organisation (PWD-WRO), which has been entrusted with the task of cleaning the lake.

Consequences

In a bid to enlist the cooperation of the local people by making them aware of the consequences of polluting the channel, Nilgiris Collector Archana Patnaik has cautioned that the law will come down heavily on those dumping garbage into the channel.

Stating that it has come to the notice of the committee formed by the government to clean and maintain the Ooty Lake that people residing along the channel and some of the hoteliers are dumping various kinds of refuse including household items, used milk packets, plastic bottles, old clothes and discarded vegetables, she said that some were also habitually letting in their effluents.

Lamenting that even the educated sections of the society are abusing the channel which had come into being only to prevent storm water from flooding low-lying areas, she said that it has led to the facility getting polluted and becoming an eyesore which is spoiling the beauty of the hill station.

Declaring that dumping of garbage, plastic items and other forms of waste inside the channel has been banned, Ms. Patnaik said that violators would be fined up to Rs. 2,000.

Further, they would be made to remove what they have dumped.

Those coming across people abusing the channel can inform PWD-WRO by calling phone numbers 94430 77789 / 98949 61554 / 98659 98899.