Cleaning of 119m canal stretch under railway lines crucial 

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The recent flooding at Thampanoor has yet again brought the urgent need of cleaning up the canal stretch passing underneath the railway property to the focus. The city corporation has taken up the matter with the state government and is waiting for the new government to take charge to implement the phase II of Operation Anantha -- the flood mitigation initiative taken up by the government back in 2015. 

The LDF parliamentary party leader and works standing committee chairman, D R Anil, said the cleaning of the canals is fast progressing but removing the accumulated silt is the only way to resolve the issue. “The canal underneath the railway premises has to be cleaned. Otherwise, flooding will happen again. This is specialised work and needs technical support. Hence, we have decided to take it up with the new government. We want the government to implement phase II of Operation Anantha.

There are obstructions and encroachments which have to be removed to ensure the smooth flow of stormwater,” said D R Anil. It is learnt that the authorities have already assigned the irrigation department to carry out the cleaning activities of the 119-metre-long underground canal