COIMBATORE: A residents’ welfare organisation has urged the state government to permanently close the Vellalore dumpyard in Coimbatore, implement a decentralised solid waste management system, and transform the sprawling landfill into an international-standard cricket stadium and sports complex.
In a representation submitted to the local minister K Vignesh, K S Mohan, Secretary of the Kurichi-Vellalore Pollution Prevention Action Committee, stated that residents living around the landfill have been enduring air pollution, foul odour, groundwater contamination and other health hazards for several years.
The committee lauded the government’s efforts to operationalise the proposed integrated bus terminus project at Vellalore. However, it appealed to the government to gradually remove the existing dumpyard and permanently stop transporting municipal solid waste to the site.
Instead, the organisation urged the Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation (CCMC) to adopt a scientific decentralised solid waste management model by processing waste at zonal-level facilities.
The representation also proposed that once the dumpyard is fully reclaimed, the vast tract of land should be redeveloped into an international-standard cricket stadium along with a modern multi-sports complex, arguing that Vellalore’s proximity to the Coimbatore International Airport and major road networks makes it well suited to host national and international sporting events.
The project, which was announced earlier, was planned on about 30 acres of land previously belonging to the open-air prison, with the stadium expected to accommodate around 30,000 spectators. The project was planned to be developed by the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu (SDAT) and TIDCO, and public consultations were held during the preparation of the Detailed Project Report.
However, after TVK took over the government from the DMK, the international cricket stadium project in Coimbatore was shelved by the new government. Sports Minister Aadhav Arjuna, during his visit to Coimbatore, said that their government would recheck the feasibility of the proposed project in Ondipudur.