THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In view of increasing incidents of bird hits at the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport, the city corporation, jointly with the Suchitwa Mission, is drawing up a proposal to set up a rendering plant at Vallakadavu to scientifically handle the slaughter waste. According to official sources, the proposal is in its final stages, and the plan is to implement the project using the CSR funds from the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport Ltd (TIAL).
Illegal slaughtering and unscientific handling of slaughter waste are cited as the primary reasons for the growing number of bird hits. As per the data from the airport authorities, 25 incidents of bird hits have been reported between January and July this year. A total of 42 incidents (both confirmed and suspected) were reported between April 2022 and April 2023.
The airport authorities have deployed sanitation workers to handle the illegally dumped waste on their property to minimise the number of bird hits. The airport authorities had approached the district collector seeking intervention in the matter.
An official said, as per the current policy of the government, revenue land can be used for setting up waste treatment facilities. “Revenue land is available near Bangladesh Colony at Vallakadavu. The district administration has agreed to hand it over to set up the plant. The proposal is being finalised and a decision on the capacity of the rendering plant is pending. If it’s a small plant with a capacity to treat one tonne, the cost will come to around Rs 20 lakh,” said the official.
As per a recent survey, there are around 319 poultry shops under the corporation’s jurisdiction, and on average, 22,094 birds are slaughtered every day. Vallakadavu is one of the hotspots where illegal slaughtering is rampant.
Meanwhile, efforts are already underway to bring the poultry and slaughter shops in the district under scanner. As per the study carried out by Suchitwa Mission, the district generates around 30 tonnes of slaughter waste every day. “At present, the slaughter waste is transported to a rendering plant in Ernakulam. A new rendering plant is coming up in Kollam and a proposal to transport the slaughter waste to the rendering plant in Kollam is under consideration,” said the official.