State Cabinet okays to build protective wall

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Cabinet on Wednesday sanctioned Rs 1.25 crore for constructing a protection wall along the banks of the Parvathy Puthanar at Karikkakom, near Chakkai, where a school van had plunged into the canal  killing six kindergarten students and their caretaker on February 17. The decision was taken following a visit Chief Minister Oommen Chandy had made to the accident spot the other day. Chandy told a post-Cabinet briefing here that steps would also be taken to clean the canal. The District Administration will be asked to complete the work in a time-bound manner, Chandy said. The Chief Minister said that the government had also decided to bear the  medical expense of the lone survivor of the incident Irfan. Young Irfan’s family would be reimbursed the money they have thus far spent on the treatment of the boy. Oommen Chandy had also visited Irfan, who is completely bedridden, the other day.The incident had occurred on February 17 when a school van operated by Little Flower Kindergarten, Pettah, plunged into the lake killing the children and their caretaker Bindu. The incident had led to the closure of the kindergarten and the district administration had later introduced strict guidelines for operating school buses. The tragedy had claimed the lives of Malavika, Achu, Arsha, Ujjwal and Jinu. Razik, 4, who had been in hospital with Irfan, had succumbed a few days later.Following the tragedy, it was pointed out that the road gradually sloped into the river, and there was no protective fencing to prevent accidents. The extremely-polluted condition of the Parvathy Puthanar - much of the waste generated by the capital city is indiscriminately dumped into this water body - had also been cited as one of the causes of death. Doctors had later confirmed infection in the young victims owing to contact with the polluted water.