About 1500 residents who live on the banks of Parvathy Puthanar, a man-made canal near Thiruvananthapuram, now face the threat of eviction due to a National Waterway Project being built at a cost of Rs 80 crore.
A preliminary survey identified close to 2,400 encroachments at Attipra, Pettah, Kadakampally and Muttathara wards in the city, reports Deccan Chronicle.
As most of the alleged encroachers have title deeds, the irrigation officials are prepared for a long legal fight.
Many residents who own houses built on the banks of Puthanar, also pay tax to the corporation. Those residents who are ready to resettle will get houses under the LIFE scheme of state government, the report states.
The Parvathy Puthanar canal will be part of the National Waterway 3 and will connect Kovalam in the South and Neeleshwaram in the North. Though the expected budget is Rs 80 crore, irrigation officials say that the actual costs may exceed this.
In August, CM Pinarayi Vijayan had told media that the government aims to complete the waterway which will link North and South Kerala by 2020. He also added that the waterway will make the water passage from Kovalam to Kollam fully navigable.
The government has tied up with Cochin International Airport Ltd to launch a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV). Additional land required to maintain the width of the canal at 25 meters will be acquired at Vallakkadavu and Edyar near Poonthura, the report adds.