KOLLAM: CPM district committee has ventured into a clean up drive in the district as part of its state-wide campaign to address one of the critical challenges faced by Kerala, waste management.
To start with, a seminar on waste management will be held at the CSI Convention Hall here on October 17 to discuss the need for waste treatment and practical solutions. During the seminar, an action plan for six months would be charted. The seminar will be followed by a clean-up drive in local bodies, major hospitals and markets by the volunteers on Nov 1. The seminar would be inaugurated by CPM politburo member Kodiyeri Balakrishnan. It will be attended by the representatives of Corporations, three municipalities, 70 grama panchayats and social workers. Experts such as IRTE former director K Raveendran, Harikumar of Energy Management Centre, Francis Xavier of Veterinary University, Mannuthy and Shibu Nair, programme director of Thanal, would participate.
The seminar is a continuation of the one conducted in Alappuzha by the AKG Centre for Research and Studies in September.
While the CPM is taking up the issue, garbage disposal has already become a serious challenge to households and the authorities as the state is increasingly getting urbanised. The lack of proper waste management system has resulted in huge piles of garbage on the roadside. Everyday, the public has to brave the stench, something the local people at Mevaram, Sakthikulangara bridge, Asramam industrial office, Asramam Yatri Nivas, Lions Nagar, the region beneath Karbala foot overbridge and Polayathodu are familiar with. It is a common sight to see waste from houses and meat shops dumped in various points in the city. The party plans to promote decentralised waste management methods. It advocates treating waste at its source such as households, hotels, auditoriums, poultry farms, hospitals etc. On the issue of banning flex boards, CPM district secretary K Rajagopal said that it would be difficult to suddenly stop its use but there should be action to discourage its use.