KOCHI: The leader of the opposition of Kochi corporation, Antony Kureethara, has submitted a report before the amicus curiae appointed by the Kerala High Court, highlighting the failure of the corporation and the Kerala government in implementing a fully functional waste treatment plant in Brahmapuram.
The report said that between 2008 and 2023, the government and the civic body introduced five waste-management projects. However, not even a single one has been fully commissioned. Antony also sought the construction of a 500-tonne-a-day waste disposal plant, fully owned by the corporation, in Brahmapuram at the earliest through a one-time investment under the supervision of the High Court.
“In 2012, the state government proposed a 500-tonne waste-to-energy plant. However, nothing has come of it,” he said. “In 2021, the corporation council unanimously decided to set up a new 300-tonnes-per-day windrow compost plant and entrusted the task with a consultancy named Esteem. The council sanctioned `54 crore for the plant,” the report said.
Two years on, construction of the plant is yet to be initiated, it said. Following questions raised by the opposition, the mayor informed the council that operations of the plant were stopped based on a letter, dated February 23, 2023, from the Suchitwa Mission. The council then decided to restructure the refuse-derived fuel (RDF) shed, sanctioned Rs 79 lakh, and initiated the tendering process. However, the delay in starting the work forced the lowest bidder to voluntarily withdraw from the project.
The district collector filed an affidavit with the HC, stating that the existing plant would be made fully operational by March 20, 2023. “No steps had been taken to operationalise the unit, and it was revealed in the last council meeting that the project has been dropped. It was later that the government came forward with the 300-tonne-a-day BPCL bio-CNG plant,” the report said.