Kerala To Free Kochi Of Slums To Put In Place An Integrated Transport System

The Kerala government has decided to remove encroachments along the banks of canals in Kochi in a bid to implement canal development projects, reports The Times of India.

The Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) has been appointed as a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) for executing the plan for integrated urban regeneration and water transport system.

The government plans to evict the encroachments across the district and rehabilitate the evictees to beautify and develop canals, said a government official. Almost 1,300 families are living along the banks of the canal across the city who will be rehabilitated to Kakkanad, where the state government has identified three acres of land.

The government will spend around Rs 500 crore for rehabilitating them, which would result in freeing up 80 acres in the heart of the city and is reportedly worth Rs 2,000 crore. Three hundred families will be rehabilitated in the first phase. The government officials have, however, been quite cautious while removing the encroachments.

However, local officials have hinted at the need to pull down concrete structures and plug outlets carrying wastes to the canals, to make them fit for navigation. Creation of navigable waterways is significant for Kochi Water Metro project, said KMRL Managing Director Mohammed Hanish.