The drainage work by the Kochi corporation at Panampilli Nagar has taken a curious turn with sports minister K.B. Ganesh Kumar stating that the prestigious sports complex project at the Government High School at Panampilli Nagar would not materialise if the corporation did not spare the area from the drainage work.
What was envisaged was a world class facility for training in sports including a football academy which would be set up with the support of the famed Real Madrid football club of Spain, said Ganesh Kumar.
“When such a facility involving foreigners comes, how can the corporation think of constructing drainage by the side of the ground, which can generate foul smell and cause inconvenience?, he asked. “In that case, we will have to think of abandoning the project as a whole”, he said.
The sports minister said the corporation had not informed him of the plan to dig the drainage. He said he would send a letter to the mayor and the local MLA in this regard.
“The project will have to be implemented at a cost of Rs 3 crore”, he said. There will be a synthetic track, a track for cycling, facility for handball, archery etc. He said he would not allow trees along the fences to be cut down either.
The drainage work was done amidst protests from the residents.
The cutting of trees for laying the drainage had raised the shackles of environmentalists and residents. The residents said there was no need to build such a drainage for the area.