"Our children are leaving Kerala because of lack of infrastructure, aesthetic appeal in cities": Kerala High Court

The Kerala High Court on Thursday bemoaned the fact that many youngsters leave Kerala to move abroad or to other States and attributed the same to the lack of infrastructure and aesthetic appeal in the cities in the State. [CP Ajithkumar & Anr. v State of Kerala & Ors.]..Single-judge Justice Devan Ramachandran was considering a case highlighting the issues of poorly maintained roads, loose hanging cables on streets, open drains, unauthorised parking of vehicles on footpaths and other such issues plaguing the city of Kochi. “Why is that we don't have aesthetics? Only when we have a visual appeal in the city, our children will remain here. Our children are leaving and going because they don’t find the infrastructure they want here. I am talking as a citizen and not as a judge. Even today when I came, cars are parked on the footpath,” the judge orally remarked..The Court was considering, one of its longest pending writ petitions, first moved in 2008, seeking directions to the concerned authorities to ensure the maintenance of the roads.The matter has been kept open all these years so that the court can monitor such issues faced by citizens and issue appropriate orders as and when necessary. .Today, one of the amici curiae, advocate S Vinod bhat, informed the Court that a High Court lawyer was seriously injured after being entangled in a hanging cable on the road and that the condition of pedestrians have gone from bad to worse.The Court took a serious view of the issue and ordered the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) to ensure that all the cables that run through its post are identified and tagged within a period of 10 days.“They (KSEB) should inform all the entities who have taken permission from them in this regard and if there are cables that are still not tagged and identified, steps have to be taken from the 11th day of today to remove them without causing any visual pollution,” the court ordered..The Court similarly ordered the Corporation of Kochi to ensure all the cables are identified and tagged, and also authorized it to cut such cables after the deadline.“The corporation of Kochi on the other hand will also have all the cables running through the poles authorized by them, identified and tagged within the said time, and remove them. The secretary corporation of Kochi is hereby authorized to act with respect to any cable in this city either in the post of KSEB or authorized by them after the said deadline. They shouldn’t find any problem in doing so as they have the liberty to bring it before the court," the court said..Regarding pedestrian parks/footpaths, the court directed the Commissioner of Police to ensure that all vehicles parked in an unauthorized manner on the main roads are seized from the second instance of violation..The matter will be posted next after 12 days. .[Read Order]