3 days ago
Protest continues in Kochi demanding tetrapod seawall along coastal areas
Kochi: Protest demanding construction of a tetrapod seawall from Puthenthodu to Fort Kochi coastal areas continued on Wednesday. Although a road blockade organized by locals on Alappuzha-Fort Kochi state highway ended on Wednesday morning following discussions with revenue officials, a hunger strike was organized jointly by Kochi and Alappuzha dioceses under the banner of Care Chellanam initiative.
Hundreds of people, including women and children, participated in the strike.
Chellanam-Kochi People's Forum urged govt to seek help of National Disaster Response Force to prevent sea surges along coastal area. "As high tides are expected within a week, temporary measures should be taken on a war footing along Chellanam-Kochi coast to prevent sea surges. Despite repeated requests, govt failed to carry out any pre-monsoon preparations, leaving people to face the consequences of sea surges," said a statement issued by the forum on Wednesday.
Following a petition in court, govt decided to spend Rs 1.25 crore to construct a 961m-long geobag barrier along the coast. However, work regarding this is delayed due to lack of resources. Sea surges that occurred in recent days brought hardships to people. Many houses along the coast were destroyed or severely affected, said the statement.
