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Time of India

Amayizhanjan Canal cleanup near Thampanoor rail tunnel nears completion

Thiruvananthapuram: Nearly a year after the tragic death of sanitation worker N Joy, who died while cleaning a garbage filled tunnel of Amayizhanjan Canal near Thiruvananthapuram Central railway station in Thampanoor, desilting and renovation work in the area is finally nearing completion. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The works are being carried out by major irrigation department at a cost of Rs 63 lakh. While desilting under the railway tunnel has been completed, works in other parts of the canal remain overdue. The slab-laying work at Vanchiyoor stretch of the canal, which was awarded to Uralungal Labour Contract Cooperative Society (ULCCS), has been stalled due to a mismatch between the project's estimated cost and the quoted tender. According to sources, ULCCS quoted a rate that was 79% higher than the department's estimate. As a result, the irrigation department is awaiting sanction from finance department to proceed. A senior official stated that most of the canal works under their jurisdiction have either been completed or were in the final stages. The renovation work from Observatory to Ulloor is nearly completed and the Rs 9 crore project from Ulloor to Pattoor is finished. These efforts included extensive desilting and the construction of reinforced side walls. Similarly, the work from Ulloor to Akkulam is close to completion. These projects are part of a larger pre-monsoon initiative led jointly by major and minor irrigation departments, Thiruvananthapuram corporation and public works department. Amayizhanjan Canal has been one of the key focus areas, particularly the segment running under the railway tracks at Thampanoor, which has been a bottleneck during heavy rains. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now In May this year, state human rights commission stepped in, directing irrigation department and city corporation to act immediately to remove accumulated garbage and ensure smooth flow in all the canals. However, fund crunch remains an issue. Meanwhile, authorities claim that the Centre was yet to release Rs 200 crore for the comprehensive flood mitigation project, including clean-up of all canals and drains in the city based on the proposal submitted by Kerala State Disaster Management Authority last year.