Kerala - Kochi   

Waste disposal: Ombudsman flays local bodies for inaction

KOCHI: Ombudsman for Local Self-government institutions M.R. Hariharan Nair has observed that there was lethargy on the part of many local bodies in fulfilling their legal duty of waste disposal.

At a sitting held here recently on a case relating to waste disposal, Mr. Nair said some municipalities had not yet even commenced land acquisition procedures to set up waste disposal and treatment plants in spite of specific directions.

He observed that it was ‘essential’ to acquire more land adjoining the waste treatment plant at Brahmapuram for better waste management in Kochi and its suburbs. The order, hence, directed the district collector to expedite land acquisition proceedings.

“A distressing feature noticed is that none of the local bodies have addressed the problem of disposing of plastic waste,” he said. He said that this was at a time when the units manufacturing plastic items and plastic granule in the State were finding it hard to get raw material and brought plastic waste from neighbouring States at a high cost.

“What is obvious is that with a little effort to educate housewives and the public, and with the cooperation of Kudumbasree units, a substantial part of the problem of plastic waste can be easily solved,” he said.

He directed the local bodies to convene meetings and take all possible steps for arranging collection and disposal of plastic waste.

Mr. Nair said that majority of the local bodies had not complied with his order dated July 15, 2008 to set up monitoring committees chaired by mayor or chair person and district collectors as conveners in all districts for dealing with waste disposal. The order had also asked to hold the first meeting of the committee in the first week of August. Stating that there was a delay in communicating the order, Mr. Nair said that the meeting was held only in Thrissur.

Mr. Nair directed to send the order to the Secretary of the Local Self-government (LSG) Department. He reminded the district collectors of “the urgent need to convene meetings of the monitoring committee forthwith.”

The order had stated that the committee with the environmental engineer of the Pollution Control Board, executive engineer of the local body and a nominee of the LSG Department (LSD) as members, will have the powers to co-opt additional members. “It appears that the Government of Kerala has not yet notified its nominees to the monitoring committees,” the order said.

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