Pre-monsoon work: Traders unhappy with civic body

KOCHI: MG Road Merchant’s Association has come out against Kochi corporation for the inordinate delay in undertaking pre-monsoon works. They said that though occasional rain has helped in lowering the temperature, most ‘traders tremble in fear’ when they think about waterlogging.
Rajesh Nair, convener of the association, said the local body has not cleaned the drains this time.“The local body remains docile and unconcerned,” he said. It is learnt that orders to clear the drains have not yet been issued. “The rains are expected any time now, but corporation has not even completed the tendering process,” he said.
In many places, concrete slabs covering the drains on MG Road are either broken or damaged. There have been no efforts to replace them. This could result in people failing into the drains during heavy rain when visibility is low, especially at night.
According to traders, the local body has failed to realize that the merchant community would bear an enormous loss if rainwater entered their shops and establishments due to waterlogging. There are many instances in previous years when traders had to shift their stocks and manually drain the water.
“How can Kochi corporation ignore taxpayers? What prevents them from taking prompt action?” asked Nair, adding that the association held talks with the local body leadership and explained the scenario before them.
The traders fear that heavy rain and flooding of streets could bring city life to a standstill in the near future. Many businesses are trying to recover the loss they sustained because of the floods in August 2018.
However, local body citied the model code of conduct, which came into force during the Lok Sabha polls as a key reason for delay in executing civil works. Citizens brushed aside the corporation’s stance saying that the election was not declared suddenly and that it should have anticipated it and made prior preparations.