Congress legislators and the State government are sparring over the proposed 45-MLD water supply project of the Kerala Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (Kinfra) at Kakkanad, even as the work for the project is all set to begin on Monday.
Declaring their opposition towards the project, Hibi Eden, MP, and Congress MLAs T.J. Vinod, Anwar Sadath and Uma Thomas said the party would oppose the project, which according to them, was designed to support the industrial mafia in the district. They accused Industries Minister P. Rajeeve of facilitating the industrial mafia at the expense of the people of Kochi.
The government and Mr. Rajeeve were neglecting the drinking water needs of the district, which is experiencing unprecedented water scarcity. The government should accord priority to addressing the drinking water needs of the people of the district rather than ensuring water supply to the industrial mafia, they alleged at a press conference on Sunday.
The Congress leaders said there was not enough water in the Periyar to meet the water requirements of Kochi. However, the authorities were attempting to further exploit the river for the Kinfra project, which according to them, would push the existing water supply projects into crisis. The government should have considered the project for purifying water from the Kadambrayar and supplying it rather than going ahead with the Kinfra project, they said.
Responding to the allegations, Mr. Rajeeve said studies had confirmed that there was enough water in the Periyar river for the Kinfra project, which was accorded clearance during the term of the United Democratic Front (UDF) government. The Left Democratic Front (LDF) government took the project, which was given all the statutory clearances during the UDF government’s term, forward considering the need of the industrial firms that had come up at the park, he said.
The technical feasibility of the project was reviewed again, following a high-level meeting convened by the Chief Minister. Both the studies had certified that it was a feasible project, he said.
Mr. Rajeeve dismissed the suggestion that the Kinfra project should have waited till the completion of the 190-MLD project proposed in the river. One project need not wait for the other to be completed. They could be implemented simultaneously. The government had issued directions to implement all the proposed projects in a time-bound manner, said the Minister.
