KOCHI: As garbage piles up at north Kalamassery on the eastern side of NH 47, it seems there is no solution in sight for the waste disposal mechanism at Kalamassery Municipality. The dumping ground is turning out to be an eyesore for people entering the city even as the stench becomes unbearable for those living nearby.With the municipality — the biggest revenue-earning local self-body in the city with Lulu Mall and car showrooms coming under its purview — acting as a mute spectator, local residents feel like being taken for a ride.
“At times, the stench coming from the disposed waste is so severe that we can’t even go anywhere near the area,” lamented Soumya Shaji, a local resident.Municipal councilor Rukia Jamal said despite a notice from the parliamentary standing committee to remove plastic waste from the area, no action has been taken.However, municipal chairperson Jessy Peter refutes the allegations. “Recently, plastic-cutting machines have arrived, which will bring some relief. These machines will cut the plastics and make them recyclable,” she said, adding that the waste dumped by container trucks parked near Kalamassery added to the problem at hand.
Shredding units were recently set up where household plastic waste collected by Kudumbashree workers are treated. The food waste generated within the municipal area is being dispatched to the Brahmapuram treatment plant, said Peter.People dumping waste on the roadside are creating more problems. In order to track them, the municipality has taken steps to install 40 CCTV cameras across the place. “The municipality is set to complete the installation of CCTV cameras. Though cameras have been installed on the ground, it has not started functioning yet,” said Peter.
Former municipal chairman Jamal Manakkadan claimed that during the inauguration of the crematorium, which is situated on the ground where the plastic waste is piled up, they had removed all such garbage.
Added Libin Chacko Kurien, who works in Kalamassery, “It’s been two years since I started working here and the condition of this ground is the same; every passing day sees the waste heap getting bigger and bigger. It is even worse during rains with mosquitoes spreading diseases.”