Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

No parking space for garbage trucks

Thiruvananthapuram: The city Corporation is turning to the government for help to secure a centralised parking ground for its fleet of garbage trucks.

Over the last two weeks, the Corporation has lost two spaces, Putherikandam Maidan and the plot adjacent to Transport Bhavan in the Fort area, that were used to park garbage vehicles. While the Putherikandam Maidan was the main venue of the Kerala School Kalotsavam, the other plot was fenced off by the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC).

The garbage trucks are loaded at various points in the city and parked until nightfall before they move to the waste treatment plant at Vilappilsala in the suburbs. Under an agreement between the Corporation and the Vilappil panchayat, the garbage is transported to the plant only after 10 p.m. to avoid inconvenience to the residents.

Ever since the Corporation lost the use of the major parking spaces, the trucks have been operating from scattered locations at Thampanoor, Jagathy, Poojappura and the sides of the National Highway bypass. During the last few days, a number of trucks made their daily trip before 10 p.m., triggering strong protest from the residents in the panchayat.

Chairman of the Corporation’s standing committee on Health G.R. Anil said the lack of a centralised parking area was a major problem. “It is difficult to coordinate the movement of vehicles from different places. The abrupt decision of the KSRTC to fence off the land in the Fort area has dealt us a heavy blow.”

In a bid to reclaim the land, Corporation officials approached the Revenue Department, only to be told that the RTC was in possession of the property. “We will meet the Revenue Minister to stake a claim to the portion of the land to the rear of the Corporation garage. We have also approached the Law Minister seeking his intervention to sort out the issue,” Mr.Anil.

The Corporation has so far drawn a blank in its desperate search for a new parking ground. The proposed beautification of the Putherikandam Maidan is scheduled to take off soon, making it inaccessible. Another site at Jagathy that was being temporarily used for parking has now been turned into a storage ground for pipes.

“The hunt for a parking ground is a tortuous process. Residents are naturally opposed to the idea of having to share their neighbourhood with garbage trucks. As soon as we zero in on a site, the local people get restless and we are forced to abandon it,” says Mr. Anil.

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