The Hindu : Kerala / Kochi News : Waste dumping halted at Kalamassery

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Waste dumping halted at Kalamassery

Staff Reporter

Tense situation as local people protest disposal of garbage

Photo: Vipin Chandran

NO DUMPING HERE: City police negotiating with Kalamassery municipal chairperson A.M. Arifa at the waste dumping yard at Kalamassery on Wednesday when local people protested against the dumping of waste. —

KOCHI: The district administration ran into another stumbling block in its efforts to find a solution to the garbage issue when the dumping of waste at the dumping yard at Kalamassery had to be stopped prematurely owing to widespread protest on Wednesday.

A tense situation prevailed at the dumping site in the morning when local people led by councillors and politicians, cutting across party affiliations, blocked the dumping of waste at the dumping yard.

The protestors were removed by 10.30 a.m. The Kalamassery police registered cases against 42 persons. They were released on bail by 2 p.m.

Some of protestors were injured when the police forcibly removed them from the site. They were taken to the Cooperative Medical College hospital nearby.

In a show of solidarity with the protesters, the trading community of Kalamassery observed a hartal from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Merchants also took out a protest rally to the Municipal office, which was stopped by the police.

Youth Congress activists took out a protest rally to the residence of A.M. Yousuf, Aluva MLA, which was stopped 150 metres away.

The representatives of Kalamassery municipality had agreed to allow dumping of non-biodegradable waste generated within the Corporation limits at the dumping yard of the municipality for a month during a meeting convened by the District Collector on Tuesday.

It was in keeping with this agreement that the trucks carrying waste reached the dumping yard on Wednesday morning by around 8.30 a.m. Revenue officials led by Fort Kochi Revenue Divisional Officer M.K. Joseph were present. After much persuasion about ten truckloads of garbage were dumped at the dumping yard and covered with soil.

Following the incidents, the municipal chairperson A.M. Arifa informed District Collector M. Beena, who was away in Thiruvananthapuram, over phone that the permission given to dump waste at the municipality’s dumping yard was being withdrawn. They also conveyed the message to K.N. Raje, Additional District Magistrate, and Mr. Joseph.

“The district administration violated all the conditions based on which permission was granted to dump waste in our municipal limits. They did not even show the courtesy to make a phone call before sending the waste this morning,” Abdul Rahman Manakkadan, chairman, standing committee for welfare, said.“We will not allow them to dump waste from the Corporation limits at our dumping yard or in any area within our municipal limits,” he said. He said that the meeting had agreed to the formation of a monitoring committee including health officials of the municipality and Kochi Corporation to ensure that only non-biodegradable waste was dumped at the municipal dumping yard. Besides, a written agreement between the municipality and the Corporation was also to be framed.

“Dumping started before any of these conditions were fulfilled,” Mr. Manakkadan said. Ms. Raje said that it was unfortunate that the municipality backed out of the decision reached during the meeting. Dr. Beena will hold a meeting with the councillors of Kalamassery municipality and other stakeholders on Thursday to find a solution to the stalemate. The fate of waste management hangs on the outcome of this meeting.

Meanwhile, the councillors are yet to decide whether to participate in the meeting or not. “We will take a decision after holding a council meeting in the morning,” Mr. Manakkadan said.

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