New deadline set for completion of Mullassery canal restoration work

Revised deadline set for Mullassery canal restoration; contractor asked to remobilise workers & machinery to meet it. Inclement weather & delay in removing water & sewage lines had caused work to come to a standstill. Amici curiae noted pipes crossing reconstructed portions, blocking drains & leading to waterlogging.

The district administration has set February 15 as the revised deadline for the completion of the Mullassery canal restoration work.

A meeting convened by the District Collector on Monday asked the contractor, who is implementing the project, to remobilise workers and machinery and take steps to meet the revised deadline.

Incidentally, the project, which is being implemented as part of Operation Breakthrough to mitigate urban flooding, has missed several deadlines.

The work had come to a standstill following the delay in removing water supply and sewage lines drawn through the canal. The inclement weather too had hit the work.

A host of factors, including weather conditions, would influence the progress of the work, said officials of the Irrigation department.

“The work can be resumed only after the active spell of rain. Bunds need to be constructed to prevent the flow of water into the construction site. Once the weather conditions improve, the work would resume from near the KSRTC bus stand area.

Of the total 800-metre stretch of the canal, the work has been completed in around 200 metres,” an official said.