The Hindu : Kerala / Thiruvananthapuram News : Reporter's Diary

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Apr 12, 2006

Kerala

Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

Reporter's Diary

Garbage pile

Despite the proclaimed intent of the civic authorities to keep the capital city clean, putrefying piles of garbage continue to be an eye sore in many parts of the city.

Many residential colonies have either the volunteers of the Kudumbasree network or their own arrangement to collect garbage from individual houses every morning. The garbage thus cleared from residential areas resurfaces at some relatively isolated localities in the city.

One of the entrance points to Kanaka Nagar, near Nanthencode junction and right where the compound wall of the zoo ends, seems to be one such garbage dumping spot. The local residents say that garbage is often brought in carrier autorickshaws by people and dumped there at night or in the early hours. They point out that this is not a spot designated for garbage collection by the city corporation. They also suspect that truck loads of waste from many wedding halls in the city — plastic cups, plates or paper leafs — get dumped here.

The garbage pile here also poses hazard to the animals in the zoo. Only the compound wall separates this garbage dump from the deer and rhino enclosure of the zoo. Crows and other birds foraging in the dump could be dropping plastic waste inside the animal enclosures, which the animals could ingest.

The zoo was made a plastic-free zone after huge amounts of plastic waste was found inside a deer during postmortem.

Commuters' woes

Bus commuters are at the receiving end as they are exposed to all elements since the bus stops in the capital do not have scientifically designed shelters. The bus shelters, which were renovated by the City Corporation with private participation in Kowdiar-LMS stretch, were also removed for taking up widening of roads.

Although the authorities have completed the widening of the Kowdiar-Vellayambalam stretch, they have not bothered to provide bus shelters at the segregated bus bays near Vellayambalam, Manmohan Bungalow, TTC junction and Kowdiar. The segregated bus bays in the stretch are also not being used by the KSRTC and private buses, as the avenue trees had not been cut following opposition from various quarters.

The bus shelter is the only refuge for the commuters as there is no shop or business establishment in this stretch of the capital's "Rajpath" for them to seek refuge from rain or sun. Commuters standing under avenue trees are a regular sight these days. During the peak hours, the commuters spill over to the carriageway at Kowdiar, Vellayambalam and Museum often blocking the smooth flow of vehicular traffic.

Harrowing season for elephants

It is a hectic time for the six hundred-odd elephants in captivity in Kerala. The elephants, mostly tuskers, are in high demand during the temple festival season. Elephants being herded through busy urban roads or transported in lorries are a common sight these days.

The Government-run Devaswom Boards own the largest number of captive elephants, most of them tuskers. Several private owners in Kerala are reported to have procured new elephants from north-eastern States. A baby elephant could cost Rs.2 lakh and upwards.

In the wake of reports of captive elephants behaving violently at festivals, the State police have insisted that elephants being used for religious processions be checked by a veterinary surgeon.

Elephants in "musth" or in a state of ill health should not be used for public functions.

(Contributed by C. Maya, S. Anil Radhakrishnan and G. Anand)

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