THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A row erupted between Attukal ward councillor Beena RC and residents over a truckload of material that was about to be dumped on a vacant plot adjacent to Attukal temple on Friday night. It all started when locals and Attukal temple trust members interrupted a lorry, which they alleged, was carrying foul-smelling waste and the councillor said was C&D (Construction and Demolition) debris. Now, the unloaded truck awaits at the Fort police station for the stalemate to end.
The current predicament follows two instances of dumping construction debris. According to Beena, load had been brought to level the land to facilitate road construction to two houses languishing at the edge of the land.
“The road is meant for two houses at the other end, for whom commuting is rather difficult. We plan on concreting the road,” she said. “The demolished parts were brought from Manjalikkulam where road widening was underway. I have all the necessary permission from the city corporation for the same,” she insists. The temple trust is against the road, she added.
The temple trust, however, differs and states that the dumped material poses difficulty to devotees coming to the temple. Trust secretary Sisupalan Nair K said, “When they dumped the first load, we approached the police and they promised that there will be no more waste dumping. However, it was constantly repeated. When the third load came, we stopped the lorry itself. Now, we have filed a complaint with the higher police officials requesting to resolve the issue.”
He argues that the land belongs to the trust and questioned the councillor’s authority to dispose waste there. “There are liquor bottles, tube lights and many other materials in the waste disposed here. Last week they did something similar on the nearby land and we had to get a earth mover to clear it. Here also we will have to do it as the temple festival is fast approaching and we need to keep the premises clean,” he said.Fort station police meanwhile is ascertaining if the load is meant for road construction.
“There is no permit to dump the waste on the land in Attukal, however, there is permit to take the waste from Manjalikkulam,” police added.