KOCHI: Dry blood stains, leftover slaughter waste, stinking fish, rotten vegetables and dirty surroundings. Aluva Market, situated at the heart of the town, is worse than a dump yard. If this unhygienic state isn't enough, once the market disperses for the day, the waste is bundled up and thrown into Periyar, thereby polluting the waterbody.
It was in 2013 that the old market building was demolished. The then municipal council had decided to construct a 40,000-sq ft building spread over two floors which can house around 200 vendors. But, despite the grave situation, the facilities are yet to come up.
"We have been approaching the municipal authorities for some time in this regard. Life has become miserable here. Those who live in nearby apartments suffering due to the unhygienic environment prevalent here. Other than blame game, nothing much happens," says Janaki, a resident.
Despite laying the foundation stone in 2015, the project remains in limbo due to funding issues. Around 100 traders who moved out of the old building continue to squeeze in makeshift shacks. Few of them have managed to occupy space in the fish market.
"The municipality is dumping waste inside the market. The unavailability of a yard makes the situation worse. Amidst the untidy surroundings, customers occupy whatever space available. The overall atmosphere is quite stifling," said Rajesh, a vendor.
The earlier attempts to get a loan from Federal Bank didn't get materialise over issues with regard to pledging the municipal Park as collateral security. Now, the present council has approached the Kerala Urban & Rural Development Finance Corporation (KURDFC) for funds.
"We have been trying to kickstart the work for a while. The council has approved the plan to approach KURDFC. We have requested for Rs 5 crore as loan for the Rs 10-crore project. Though we have settled the court cases, we aren't sure about when to commence the work," said C Omana, chairperson, Finance Standing Committee, Aluva Municipality.
The Opposition blames the inefficiency of the ruling front for the three-year delay. "When the legal issues were amicably resolved, the council sat on the project without making any effort for getting the fund. The State Government has asked them to approach KURDFC to resolve the issue. But, the authorities are still confused as to whether or not to pledge the Municipal Park. As the agency is a government body, the dues will be levied from the future government allocations. This has also made them think twice," said Rajeev Sacharia, Opposition leader, Aluva Municipality.
Abattoir remains non-starter
The Suchitwa Mission's abattoir project is yet to start. The previous government had allocated 1.52 crore for the project. "They haven't completed the construction of the abattoir on time. The necessary machinery hasn't arrived yet. Due to delay, the state government had changed the agency a few months back. The lack of initiative from the council has added to the issues," added Rajeev.