Documents handed over to Irrigation Department

KOCHI: Inching a step closer to the dream of implementing the ‘Water Metro’ project, the Kochi Corporation authorities on Wednesday expressed their willingness to hand over major canals in the city to the Irrigation Department.Kochi Mayor Tony Chammany, along with standing committee chairmen T K Ashraf and R Thyagarajan, handed over the copy of the minutes in which the Corporation Council’s consent is recorded, to Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and Water Resources Minister P J Joseph.The request letter to the Irrigation Department to take over the canals for revival was also handed over to them. The civic body’s decision in this regard came after Joseph announced here last week that if the Kochi Corporation is willing to hand over the major canals under it to the Irrigation Department, the state will take necessary steps to implement the ‘Water Metro’ project.The project mainly aims at revamping and modernising the canal system in the city by making them navigable.The Mayor told Express that the Chief Minister who backed the prestigious project had promised him that the project would be included in this year’s state budget.“The project, if executed properly, will surely be a blessing to the city. It will not only help improve the transportation, communication and irrigation sectors, but will also help address the issue of waterlogging in the city to a major extent,” Chammany said.As per the ‘Water Metro’ project, five major canals in the city, including Thevara- Perandoor Canal and Tripunithura- Edappally Canal will be renovated to make them navigable.