Rly's fencing plan to isolate four families

KOCHI: When Philomena and Kannan came to Ernakulam three decades ago, the couple had dreamt of a good life though Kannan took her to a shanty at Karuthala near the Ernakulam Jn railway station on the banks of Thevara-Perandoor canal. Their life was relatively peaceful till railway officials decided to fence their compound, blocking access to the outside world.
Philomena (58) and other families were living in the plot adjacent to the Ernakulam diesel loco shed. This move will not only block their access to the main road, but also drinking water permanently. "Till now, we crossed the railway loco shed premises and collected drinking water from their canteen. However, they have now asked us to find a new access point," she said.
Living adjacent to the filthy canal in a single-room shanty has made her a permanent kidney patient. She also has asthma. Whenever it rains, the canal water and oil from the loco shed enter the nearby houses.
"Corporation authorities sanctioned possession certificate to all the four families in 2009 and gave a power connection. However, the families are still deprived of proper connectivity and lack a water connection. They had approached the corporation many times in the past. Now that the railways has taken a decision, the corporation should make some arrangements," said corporation councillor Poornima Narayan.
Sources at the loco shed said they had no other option but to complete the fencing work. "The shed, where eight lakh litres diesel is stored in two huge tanks, apart from engine oil tanks, is an easy mark for anti-social elements. We have seen many youngsters entering our campus and puff cigarettes and other stuffs near the tanks, which is dangerous," said a senior official. At the same time, railway authorities said they had no issue if these families collected drinking water from their campus. "Between the shed and these homes is a 100m-long sub-canal. If the corporation covers it, then that can be used as a pathway," said Vijayakumar, from the nearby Udaya Colony. Corporation are of the opinion that any construction near the canal would be a violation of CRZ rules. We can include these families in Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana. We will do something to help them," said mayor Soumini Jain.