Mon Jan 06 18:03:56 UTC 2025: **Kozhikode Corporation to Survey Kallai River Encroachment**
KOZHIKODE, January 6, 2025 – The Kozhikode Corporation will conduct a survey to assess the extent of encroachment on the Kallai River behind a newly constructed private building. The survey follows a complaint by the Kallai River Protection Committee, which alleges continued encroachment despite a previous attempt to stop it in November 2024.
The disputed 34 cents of land, formerly owned by Mangalam Newspaper, was surrendered to the Revenue department after allegations of river encroachment. However, the committee claims a private group has since used the land as a parking area for an auditorium.
A recent inspection by the Corporation’s Town Planning overseer, V.K. Shilna, supported the committee’s claims. Further fueling public pressure, a video of children appealing to the District Collector to investigate the encroachment has gone viral on social media.
The committee, led by Faisal Pallikkandy, expresses concern over delays in the survey, despite a previous identification of the encroachment by the tahsildar. Pallikkandy alleges deliberate delays to aid the encroachers and says the committee may again approach the Kerala High Court for action, as a previous court order to address river encroachments remains unimplemented.
First Piper 