The district administration has struck upon a new alignment for a road connection to the upcoming Chellanam fish landing centre providing much relief to nine families, which otherwise would have been shifted to build a new road link to the facility. According to sources, the Kochi tahsildar has written to the District Collector suggesting that the new road should start about 50 metres north of the Malikapparambu bus stop and move in the westerly direction to the proposed fish landing centre. The district administration had sought a new alignment for the road to the facility without affecting the residents of the Fishermen’s Colony. Funds for house repair Sources said the poor fishermen had suffered when a grant sanctioned by the Chellanam panchayat for repair of their houses had been frozen because of the move to build a new road after evacuating them from their present houses. The finalisation of the new alignment will allow the funds to be released to the fishermen’s families. If the new alignment is followed, only one house will be affected instead of the earlier nine. Government land marshy areas form the rest of the area that is required for the road. Consent from 13 landowners will be required for the road project. The newly aligned road will be a straight one avoiding the need for acquiring more land, the tehsildar’s report has said. The Chellanam fish landing centre is a project funded by National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development and implemented by the Harbour Engineer Department under the supervision of the district administration. The project has been held up after the road connectivity became a problem in 2011. There are a total of 35 families in the Fishermen’s Colony, which was established about 40 years ago.
2017, The Hindu.