The Kerala High Court, on Monday, July 15, sought a detailed report explaining the reasons why plastic waste got accumulated inside the Amayizhanjan canal, where the dead body of a 42-year-old man was retrieved on Monday, July 15. The man, Joy, fell into the canal on July 13 while clearing the trash blocking the waterway.
Holding a special hearing, a Division Bench of Justices Bechu Kurian Thomas and Gopinath P on Monday ordered the department of Railways, Thiruvananthapuram Corporation and the district collector to file the detailed report. The court has sought details, such as how the legacy wastes are to be removed and who is responsible for dumping and removing it. The report should be submitted before July 26. Legacy waste refers to the waste that has accumulated in the canal over the years.
The court also directed three advocates Vinu TV, Vishnu S, and Pooja Menon, who were appointed as amici curiae in the Brahmapuram fire incident to visit the canal and make suggestions on what can be done. They are also directed to interact with the officials involved in 'Operation Anantha' and formulate a plan to prevent such incidents. 'Operation Anantha' is a project that was operating between 2015 and 2020 to deal with the issues of flooding and waterlogging in Thiruvananthapuram. Cleaning of the canal was a part of the project.
Joy was hired by the Southern Railways to clean the Amayizhanjan canal waterway near the Thiruvananthapuram Railway Station in Thampanoor. On July 13, while clearing the trash blocking the waterway, he was swept away in the water. His body was found in the canal at the Pazhavangadi -Thakaraparambu Vanjiyoor road on July 15. The search for his body was made difficult because of the waste accumulated in the canal.
The Railways department submitted at the court that a metallic mesh has been installed to prevent plastic wastes from entering the canal but it was unable to stop the inflow of huge amounts of waste.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has called for an emergency meeting with the officials to discuss the steps to be taken on the various problems caused by the accumulation of garbage in the canal. The meeting will be held on July 18.