Thiruvananthapuram: The State Government has failed to release an amount of Rs.42 lakhs as promised to the City Corporation to resume full-fledged operations of the corporation's garbage treatment plant at Vilappilsala.

Mayor C. Jayan Babu said the Government, citing one reason or the other, had failed to release the amount to the corporation as promised. A new order to release the amount had been issued by the Finance Department on Saturday evening. As the banking hours were over, the corporation was not in a position to resolve the issue.

The Government intervened when an all-party delegation led by Mayor C. Jayan Babu met Chief Minister Oommen Chandy on December 9 following the suspension of the operations of the plant.

The delegation apprised him of the crisis created by the Government Order directing the corporation to foot the burden of a revival package of Rs.2.87 crores for the project.

But Finance Minister Vakkom Purushothaman told the delegation that the financial position of the Government would not permit it to bear the liability.

However, the Minister, on Friday, agreed to release Rs.42 lakhs to resume operations at the plant.

He said the remaining amount would be sanctioned after analysing the situation.

The Poabs Group had agreed to restore operations from Saturday.

Meanwhile, the Chief Minister has convened a meeting of all concerned on January 3 to discuss the issues facing the garbage treatment plant at Vilappilsala and to put an end to the frequent suspension of operations.

At a press conference here on Saturday, Minister for Local Self-Government Institutions K. Kutty Ahmed Kutty said the meeting would discuss the issues being faced by the garbage plant and take steps to prevent suspension of operations in future.

Asked whether the Government had any plan to take over the garbage plant, the Minister said it would be against the concept of decentralised planning. But, the matter will come up for discussion at the January 3 meeting.

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