Even as the tug of war between the Kozhikode Corporation and the Anti-STP Protest Committee of Avikkal Thodu continues, with the committee members preventing the construction of a sidewall for the canal at its estuary recently, another group of local residents has demanded that the Corporation continue with the renovation work of the canal at any cost.
The newly formed Avikkal Thodu Protection Committee chaired by K. Sheeba said the Corporation should utilise the ₹5-crore allotted by the State government for the protection of the canal and called upon residents to alienate those opposing the renovation work.
In a release, the committee pointed out that clearing encroachments on the canal was its primary concern and urged the Corporation to give up its policy of protecting encroachers. The committee said it would resort to severe protest measures if the Corporation failed to commence work immediately. It said the civic body had not paid heed to repeated complaints about encroachments.
The committee also approached MLA Thottathil Raveendran and Mayor Beena Philip with their demands.
It was a few weeks ago that members of the Anti-STP Protest Committee prevented officials of Uralungal Labour Contract Cooperative Society from conducting a survey on the plot for the Corporation’s proposed sewage treatment plant at Avikkal Thodu. They maintained that the said plot was a landfill on the canal and was in itself a violation of the Kerala Conservation of Paddy Land and Wetland Act. Besides, the Kozhikode munsif court had ruled against any sort of construction on the plot.
The Kozhikode Corporation had approached the district court contesting the ruling, the hearing of which is yet to begin.
The committee alleged that the formation of the Avikal Thodu Protection Committee was a tactic of the Kozhikode Corporation to divide and rule, and that the new committee comprised members of the ruling CPI(M).
