Tender for restoration of remaining stretch of Mullassery Canal to open this week

The Minor Irrigation department is exploring the restoration of the remaining 175-metre stretch of the Mullassery Canal under ‘Operation Breakthrough’ within six months, even as the tender for the ₹4.80-crore project using pre-cast technology is set to be opened on March 12.

Of the canal’s total 829-metre length, the stretch up to Chittoor Road was restored last September using the cast-in-situ method, in which concrete structures are cast on-site. With the project already facing significant delays, the department has chosen pre-cast technology to prevent further setbacks and prolonged road closures. Under this method, concrete structures will be cast off-site and transported for immediate installation, eliminating extended excavation.

“The remaining stretch will be restored in three phases—from Chittoor Road to M.G. Road, across M.G. Road near the metro pillar, and the final 34 metres along A.K. Seshadri Road. Road blockages will be minimal, and the excavated sections will be restored with interlocking tiles,” said department sources.

The pending portion has been treated as a separate project, with administrative and technical sanctions secured before issuing the tender. This was necessary because the earlier contractor used the cast-in-situ method, while the remaining stretch will be executed with pre-cast technology.

The fortified pre-cast concrete structures involve higher costs, which, along with rate revisions, have been included in the estimate. The calculation also factors in savings from earlier work. Of the total project cost of ₹12 crore, about ₹8 crore worth of work has already been completed. The full benefit of the Mullassery Canal restoration in preventing inundation will be realised only after the remaining stretch is completed, which is crucial for ensuring smooth water flow.

The project has already faced inordinate delays, drawing repeated rebukes from the Kerala High Court. Last February, the court directed authorities to complete the restoration within three months. A meeting chaired by then mayor M. Anilkumar, attended by the District Collector, also reviewed Operation Breakthrough, a flagship initiative addressing waterlogging in Kochi, and issued an ultimatum to the Irrigation department to finish the canal work.