Thiruvananthapuram, Wednesday, February 1, 2012: Thiruvananthapuram Mayor K. Chandrika today opined that the city Corporation would seek legal redressal in connection with the Vilappilsala issue if the garbage treatment plant is not reopened.

Addressing the presspersons here on Wednesday, Mayor added that the corporation would once again write to the state government seeking police protection for the Vilappilsala plant authorities and vehicles.

Meanwhile the Janakeeya Samara Samithi workers protesting against the garbage treatment plant at Vilappilsala laid siege to the State Secretariat on Monday morning.

Thousands including women and children reached Secretariat and demanded that the garbage being collected from almost all the streets in the city should not be dumped in the garbage treatment plant at Vilappilsala.

The agitators also submitted a mass memorandum to Chief Minister Oommen Chandy in connection with the issue. The state government had earlier put forward a proposal for implementing a special package for resolving the Vilappilsala garbage issue.

However the Samara Samithi workers had requested for five day’s time to study on the special package put forward by the government. The meeting was attended by Ministers PK Kunhalikutty, VS Sivakumar, Mayor K Chandrika and Janakeeya Samara Samithy workers.

Meanwhile the Kerala High Court directed the state government to reopen the Vilappilsala solid waste treatment plant and allow entry of garbage vehicles into the plant.
Court also ordered the government to provide necessary police protection to the plant employees and the corporation vehicles carrying waste to the plant.

The government must also strictly monitor whether the recommendations put forward by the Pollution Control Board (PCB) are being strictly monitored. The Court observed that soon after the closure of the plant the city dwellers are suffering due to heaps of garbage piling up in the city.

Meanwhile the High Court appointed Advocates’ commission along with the Pollution Control Board have submitted a report on the extent of pollution and the problems faced by the people in Vilappilsala due to the garbage treatment plant.

The report submitted before the High Court points out that the capacity of the garbage treatment plant was much lesser than the garbage collected and hence this must be reduced, PCB environment engineer KR Santhosh Kumar said.

The plant has a capacity of 90 tons but the garbage being accumulated in the plant is about 203 tones per day. The report pointed out that the waste materials dumped in the plant were polluting the Karaman river as well as the water sources in the area. This condition can lead to the outbreak of contagious and deadly diseases.

The Court took this decision while considering corporation’s plea against the closure of the plant by Vilappilsala panchayat. The court directed the government to deploy police during the commission’s visit.
The commission will also examine the incineration capacity and security measures at the garbage treatment plant. With garbage accumulating after the closure of the Vilappilsala garbage treatment plant, garbage movement from the city to the rural areas and city outskirts has increased, disrupting life there.

Several days have passed since the closure of the plant but the alternatives set up by the authorities have failed to create any impact. This has forced a section of traders and meat merchants to dispose of their waste in desolate places in the rural areas and in the outskirts of the city.

The waste from hotels is being dumped in the rural areas such as Beemapally, Poonthura and Vettukadu during night time. Garbage is piling up in almost all the streets in the rural areas and the stench emanating from the waste has made life miserable for local people and passersby.

Rodents, mosquitoes, and flies thrive here. Garbage also lies accumulated in various parts of the town. The local residents opined that they fear an outbreak of contagious diseases like dengue fever, malaria etc.

With the residents of Vilappilsala kicking up a big stink over the garbage treatment plant and the city corporation deciding to stop collection of waste from flats, apartments and hotels, a major crisis regarding waste treatment is looming over the city.