THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Pinarayi Vijayan government in Kerala has started to stink like the Brahamapuram waste treatment plant in Kochi due to its "corruption", the opposition Congress said on Monday.
Leader of Opposition VD Satheesan told the media that "it's sad that this CPI-M government is engaged in corrupt practices to benefit the party, its leaders, or their children".
"Just look into the company that was given the tender to run the Brahamapuram waste treatment plant. Without any experience to handle big plants, they got the tender and by now Rs 22 crore has been given to them... what have they done. Nothing has been done," he said.
For the past 13 days, the state's commercial capital Kochi has been engulfed in smoke after fire surfaced in the more than 100-acre dumping ground.
The plant that won the tender is run by veteran CPI-M leader and former ruling Left Democratic Front convenor Vaikom Viswan's son-in-law.
Residents of Kochi, especially those living in the vicinity of the dumping yard, have been sorely troubled while the Kochi Corporation turned a battleground when police clashed with angry opposition councillors belonging to the Congress and the BJP.
The council, run by the CPI-M, tried to hold a meeting on Monday, but this ended in utter mayhem with the police and the protesters engaged in a fierce battle.
The meeting ended up as soon as it began, as only the ruling council members were present.
The Kerala High Court has also taken up the matter. On Monday, the District Collector was pulled up by the court after he did not come in person and opted to appear online.
Meanwhile, reports surfaced that a 70-year-old man in Kochi passed away due to breathlessness and according to his wife, he had started developing breathing problems a few days after the smog started and developed complications subsequently.
The Kerala Assembly on Monday witnessed chaos after the opposition boycotted the day's session protesting the way the Vijayan government is going about things. Vijayan, who holds the charge of Environment and Pollution Control, did not open his mouth when the treasury and opposition benches were up in arms on this issue.