Monsoon preparedness: Kerala HC seeks report from Kochi corporation

Kochi: High court has sought a report from the secretary of Kochi corporation on its monsoon preparedness. The bench of Justice Devan Ramachandran also directed the district collector, the chairman of the monitoring committee constituted by the court, to convene a meeting within a week and ensure definite steps to make the city monsoon ready.HC was considering petitions seeking judicial intervention to address the recurring problem of monsoon-related waterlogging in Kochi. During hearing, the amicus curiae submitted that the district collector's committee had met only once in the past few months and that necessary mitigation measures had not yet been taken. The court expressed serious concerns over the lack of preparedness for the upcoming monsoon.During a previous hearing, HC had urged the committee to initiate monsoon preparedness measures, including the cleaning of drainage systems and canals, and observed that the newly elected council of the Kochi corporation must also take proactive steps in the matter. Further, it had observed that the long-pending restoration of the Mullassery Canal should be completed at least before the next monsoon, cautioning that any further delay would once again subject residents to severe hardship, as witnessed over the past two to three monsoons.