Thiruvananthapuram: The Department of Coastal Shipping and Inland Navigation, on Wednesday, began demolition of an artificial bund at Moonnattumukku that had led to tension between people of the Poonthura fishing village on the one hand and those on the Edayar island and the mainland at Thiruvallam on the other.
The demolition work was taken up following a meeting convened by Minister for Water Resources N.K. Premachandran last week to settle the dispute that was threatening to spin out of control.
While the people on the island and the mainland were demanding the demolition of the temporary bund, those at Poonthura wanted it to be retained as an access route to the island. The structure made of packed earth was hindering the natural tidal flushing process and aggravating the pollution of the downstream stretches of the Karamana river. It was built by a contractor entrusted with the job of desilting the waters on the western side of the island.
A police picket was posted in the area following a tense stand-off over a breach in the bund last week.
Community leaders and elected representatives who participated in the conciliatory talks convened by the Minister approved the proposal to break open the bund and desilt the canal.
An excavator was pressed into service on Wednesday for the work. Officials of the Coastal Shipping and Inland Navigation Department were present to supervise the operation.
Source: Hindu, 29-7-2010
The demolition work was taken up following a meeting convened by Minister for Water Resources N.K. Premachandran last week to settle the dispute that was threatening to spin out of control.
While the people on the island and the mainland were demanding the demolition of the temporary bund, those at Poonthura wanted it to be retained as an access route to the island. The structure made of packed earth was hindering the natural tidal flushing process and aggravating the pollution of the downstream stretches of the Karamana river. It was built by a contractor entrusted with the job of desilting the waters on the western side of the island.
A police picket was posted in the area following a tense stand-off over a breach in the bund last week.
Community leaders and elected representatives who participated in the conciliatory talks convened by the Minister approved the proposal to break open the bund and desilt the canal.
An excavator was pressed into service on Wednesday for the work. Officials of the Coastal Shipping and Inland Navigation Department were present to supervise the operation.
Source: Hindu, 29-7-2010
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