The Kozhikode Municipal Corporation is hard-pressed to find funds for a Sewage Treatment Plant project at Karimpanapalam near Sarovaram Biopark. The civic body is planning to approach the State government for support, P.C. Rajan, standing committee chairman on public works, has said.
The ambitious project was conceived around 10 years ago under the Kerala Sustainable Urban Development Project (KSUDP). However, it met with quite a lot of stumbling blocks due to the proximity of the land identified for the project to the Kottooli wetland, an eco-hotspot in the midst of the city. The local residents’ association and Kottooli Wetland Protection Committee came out in protest against the project alleging that it will disrupt the ecosystem in the wetland as well as the Conolly Canal that runs next to the plot. They approached the National Green Tribunal and the case went on for years, ultimately ending in favour of the corporation around a year ago. Meanwhile, the KSUDP became defunct and the funds were no longer available. “At the beginning, the cost of the project was estimated at ₹93 crore. But now it has doubled. We need at least ₹200 crore to complete the project,” Mr. Rajan, who headed the standing committee on development in his previous term as councillor, said.
The pipelines for the project had been laid across the city at a cost of ₹17 crore even before the plant became an issue. The plot identified for the project spans 2.6 acres that belonged to the Kerala Water Authority. Devoid of any activities, the land is now covered in shrubbery.