THIRUVANANTHAPURAM : With decentralised waste management proving to be ineffective, the city corporation and the local self-government department (LSGD) are gearing up to set up a centralized bio-CNG plant in the state capital. According to sources, the authorities are on a hunting spree to find an appropriate site for setting up the plant under the PPP model on the lines of the plant coming up at Brahmapuram in Kochi.
Though the door-to-door collection of non-biodegradable waste has been introduced as part of the 'Malinya Muktham Nava Keralam' campaign, the civic body officials said that a majority of the residents are not interested in managing waste.
According to the officials, it was one of the reasons why Thiruvananthapuram Corporation did poorly in 'Swachh Survekshan', the cleanliness survey by the Government of India.
“The sustainability of the decentralized way of waste management is highly doubtful as the residents are not interested. Only a small section of the residents have willingly adopted the source-level waste management. Also, the Union government is not promoting decentralized waste management. We performed poorly in the cleanliness survey because we are not collecting solid waste from households and the absence of a centralized plant is another factor,” said a top official of the city corporation.
The plan is to set up the plant on 10 acres of land. “Many parties have come forward expressing interest and we just have to provide them the land. We haven’t finalised the plot for the plant yet. Technology has advanced and modern waste plants won’t cause any issues like the previous ones,” the official added.
Meanwhile, Vattiyoorkavu MLA and former mayor V K Prasanth has come out with stiff protest against the city corporation's move to implement a centralized plant in the city. Kudappanakunnu, which comes under the Vattiyoorkavu constituency, is one of the locations being considered for setting up the plant.
“The officials of 'Suchitwa Mission' approached us with a proposal to set up the plant in my constituency and I have expressed stiff protest. Thiruvananthapuram, despite being a big city, proved that waste management can be done without a centralised plant and the Union government should have acknowledged the existence of such a method because of the performance we showcased,” said V K Prasanth.
He said the decentralized way is the only ideal way and instead of changing the policy the civic body should strengthen the existing system.
“The 'Haritha Karma Sena' is already active and they should be upskilled as green technicians to provide necessary assistance for the residents to manage source-level waste mechanisms. I will strongly resist if they plan to set up the plant in my constituency,” he added.