Kozhikode: A drinking water project intended to ease chronic water shortages in Chekyad has become mired in legal complications over pipeline laying, leaving large parts of the local body, including the BSF training centre at Arikkulam, facing acute water scarcity. With the Chekyad drinking water project facing an inordinate delay in commissioning, water is now being transported to the BSF facility in tankers sourced from private wells and other locations in Nadapuram panchayat.

Construction of a massive water storage tank with a capacity of 12.5 lakh litres at Pathalakkunnu in Puliyavu has already been completed, including finishing and painting works. The land for the tank was donated free of cost by Aishumma of the Paniyantavida family at Puthanpeedika in Chekyad. She passed away recently.

The Kerala Water Authority had earmarked ₹32 crore for the project, which was designed to supply drinking water to the Ambedkar Colony at Kandivathukkal and the elevated regions of Chekyad panchayat. 

However, the project ran into trouble following a dispute over pipeline installation at Vishnumangalam. A local resident approached the Munsiff Court, alleging that the pipeline was proposed to be laid too close to his compound wall and that any rupture could damage the wall and his property.

Although the court-appointed commissioner has completed evidence collection and the surveyor has carried out measurements, a court order restraining entry to the site remains in force, stalling further progress on the project.