TIRUCHY: For years, Tiruchy International Airport had been quietly passing on the cost of its waste management to the municipal corporation, leaving the civic body to bear the brunt.
The airport’s failure to pay money to the civic body for clearing solid waste generated by the facility for years has resulted in significant financial loss for the city corporation. But now, after a TNIE report shed light on the issue, the airport has finally agreed to settle its dues, marking a turning point in the long-standing problem.
According to sources, the airport has paid Rs 1.36 crore as property tax, which includes charges for solid waste management, to the Tiruchy corporation for this financial year. Senior civic officials confirmed the payment, which comes after an RTI query revealed that the airport had previously made no payments for such waste disposal.
The TNIE article, titled ‘Corporation lost about Rs 7 crore clearing airport waste, show RTI data’, highlighted the airport’s violation of the Solid Waste Management Rules (SWM), 2016, which require entities generating over 100 kg of waste per day to handle their own waste through recycling.
The airport’s failure to establish its own waste management system was costing the corporation an estimated `7 crore annually in disposing of the waste generated by the airport.
After the TNIE report, the corporation tightened its grip, and the airport has now paid Rs 1.36 crore. Airport authorities have also assured the corporation that they will pay another Rs 60 lakh soon.
Civic body sources also said that efforts are on to recover outstanding tax arrears since 2017 from the airport. While progress has been made in tax collection, the corporation is also expecting the airport to establish its own waste recycling facility soon.