Water problems in the border grama panchayats of Eruthempathy, Vadakarapathy, and Kozhinjampara in the district, where fluoride contamination is a major issue, would be resolved soon with the State Budget setting aside Rs.20 crore for extension of the right bank canal (RBC) of the Parambikulam-Aliyar Project (PAP) to the rain shadow area.
It would be the first instalment of the Rs.70-crore project and the sanctioned amount would be utilised for land acquisition and other related works.
The government would allocate the rest of the amount soon after the land is acquired. According to Chittur MLA K. Krishnankutty, the project will benefit over 85,000 families in the three panchayats who struggle to get potable water.
The failure of successive State governments to meet the two-decade-old promise had led to angry reactions in the water-starved region in recent years. It sparked the formation of a movement that has prompted residents to press the NOTA (None of the Above) button on electronic voting machines during elections to spoil the chances of the Congress, which had earlier enjoyed a brute majority in the region.
In the last Lok Sabha election, the NOTA option got 10,600 votes in the Chittur Assembly constituency, which houses the three panchayats. This helped the Communist Party of India (Marxist)’s P.K. Biju to retain Alathur constituency. In the local body election, the Left Democratic Front (LDF) made gains in the three panchayats by winning the confidence of the NOTA campaigners. They also ensured the defeat of Congress’s sitting MLA K. Achuthan in the last Assembly election.
Church’s role
It was the Catholic church-backed Right Bank Canal Vilipunarvu Kulu (RBC awareness committee) that rewrote the political preferences of the region. The committee had attributed the delay in implementing the project to Mr. Achuthan’s favouritism for his support base on the banks of the left bank canal.
Remaining fund will be allotted after land acquisition
Project will benefit 85,000 families in the 3 panchayats
