Kochi Corporation writes to Railways seeking lease of land for High Court parking facility

The Kochi Corporation has written to Southern Railway seeking the lease of land under its ownership adjacent to the Mangalavanam bird sanctuary, to set up a parking facility for the Kerala High Court.

This comes after an earlier proposal by the Cochin Smart Mission Limited (CSML) to establish a multi-level robotic parking facility on the High Court premises made little progress. The proposal, mooted a few years ago at the request of the High Court authorities, envisaged parking space for around 250 cars. CSML had even submitted a detailed location plan and a demolition plan for the old building to the court authorities for approval.

Hibi Eden, MP, recalled that he had met then Chief Justice S. Manikumar to discuss the project. The High Court registrar was asked to earmark land for the facility, but the plan was eventually shelved. Had it been implemented, Mr. Eden said, railway land falling within the buffer zone of Mangalavanam could have been spared. He added that he would write to the Railway not to allot land for any purpose other than railway development.

The Corporation’s letter to the Railways followed discussions at the last council meeting, aimed at avoiding contempt of court proceedings for failing to comply with the High Court directive to set up the parking facility. “The State government should bear the long-term lease, as it would otherwise drain our resources. If that doesn’t happen, we will be forced to collect parking fees,” said Mayor V.K. Minimol.

P.M. Naseema, chairperson of the Town Planning Standing Committee, pointed out that even if the Corporation is spared the lease amount, it would still have to shoulder maintenance expenses.

Former mayor M. Anilkumar recalled that the United Democratic Front, then in opposition, had opposed the move when it was first discussed, insisting that the matter be taken up with Mr. Eden. He stressed that it is the State government’s responsibility to resolve the parking problem at the High Court building, which it constructed. He added that alternative land could be identified for the proposed facility, as reducing construction around the ecologically sensitive Mangalavanam is imperative.