Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

Fund for road repairs

Thiruvananthapuram: The City Corporation will extend a subsidy of 50 per cent to families willing to set up homestead-level garbage processing plants utilising biogas, vermicomposting or ring composting technology.

Addressing the media after Deputy Mayor G.Happikumar's presentation of the budget proposals, Mayor K.Chandrika said the subsidy scheme would be implemented through accredited agencies.

The Mayor said the work on the leachate treatment plant and sanitary landfill for the Corporation's garbage treatment plant at Vilappil would be completed this year. More land would be acquired near the project site to set up the proposed nursing college and the environment study and research centre.

Asked about the rationale of establishing a nursing college in the vicinity of a garbage plant, she said the treatment plant would be upgraded into a model unit.

“The environment monitoring laboratory to be set up on the premises will ensure that the operation of the plant remains pollution-free. The two new projects have been designed to be an asset for the suburban village,” Mr.Happikumar asserted.

The Mayor said the construction of multi-level parking plazas at Thampanoor and Palayam would help address the acute shortage of parking space in the city.

While the facility at Thampanoor was to come up at the Corporation's existing parking lot, the one at Palayam would be constructed on land in possession of the Thiruvananthapuram Development Authority.

The budget proposed an outlay of Rs.70 crore for the EMS total housing scheme. The Mayor said the Corporation was in the process of acquiring land to construct houses for the landless families.

Another major allocation of Rs.60 crore is for repair and maintenance of existing roads and construction of new roads. A sum of Rs.2 crore has been allocated for urgent road repair works.

An amount of Rs.3 crore has been earmarked for a land bank to construct buildings for anganwadis while Rs.1 crore has been set apart to establish a centre at Mannamoola to train youth from the SC/ST families for civil services and other examinations.

A short-stay home for bystanders of patients admitted to hospitals, financial assistance scheme for autistic children, facilitation centre for citizens at the Corporation office and high mast lights at major junctions are other major proposals in the budget.

The Opposition UDF failed to come up with a coordinated response to the budget proposals. In a token response, council party leader Johnson Joseph said the budget was a mere repetition of projects.

Residents of the Vilappil panchayat took out a protest march to the Corporation office to highlight their demand to close down the garbage treatment plant in their village. The police blocked the march near the entrance to the office.

Inaugurating the dharna, sculptor Kanai Kunhiraman urged the Corporation to recognise the plight of the people affected by the pollution caused by the plant. N.Sakthan, MLA, and leaders of the action council addressed the protesters.

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