THIRUVANANTHAPURAM : In the wake of a tragic incident where sanitation worker N Joy lost his life while cleaning the filth-filled Amayizhanchan canal, the city corporation and the LSG department have announced stringent action plans to enhance the cleaning of water bodies and waste management systems in the state capital.
In a significant move, the civic authorities have decided to serve penalty notices on households that refuse to hand over non-biodegradable waste to Haritha Karma Sena members. This comes after one year of the ‘Malinya Muktham Nava Keralam’ campaign that aims to transform Kerala into a litter-free state. Despite the campaign’s efforts, the city corporation could achieve only 82% door-to-door waste collection.
A senior official of the city corporation said that around 18% of households are not handing over waste to the Haritha Karma Sena members.
“Achieving 100% door-to-door collection is one of the key priorities of the civic body and we have decided to serve notices on the households which are not signing up for the services of Haritha Karma Sena members. As per the Kerala Municipality Act, the civic body can take strict action including denying various services provided by the local bodies if they don’t cooperate with the Haritha Karma Sena members who ensure scientific waste management,” said the official.
The special enforcement squads under the city corporation have seized around 48 vehicles that were found illegally collecting waste from these households in the recent past.
“We are taking steps to suspend the registration of these vehicles and the matter has already been discussed with the officials of the motor vehicles department,” the official said.
The civic body is also planning to distribute more source-level waste management facilities, including kitchen bins and biogas plants for households.
Since March 2024, the squads under the city corporation have collected fines to the tune of Rs 14.99 lakh for various waste-related violations. Around 312 incidents of violations were reported during this period. To keep canals and water bodies clean, the civic body has decided to increase the frequency of cleaning.
“We have installed thrash booms along the Amayizhanchan canal stretch which prevent plastic waste from flowing into the sea. The facility has been installed at 17 locations and we have decided to increase the frequency of removal of waste from these facilities. We will ensure that the waste is removed the same day or once in two days,” an official source said. According to the sources, the civic body is planning to slap spot fines on the violators dumping waste in public places and water bodies.
“We already have day and night squads to book various violations related to waste management. We are planning to increase the number of night squads with the assistance of police,” an official of the corporation said.
Joint inspection on railway premises soon
In an effort to review and check the claims made by Southern Railway of having various waste treatment facilities for treating liquid and solid waste, an inspection will be conducted on its premises soon. “A joint inspection will be conducted to verify the claims of the Southern Railway of having facilities for treating liquid and solid waste. We have served several notices and the inspection is part of that. If they don’t have the facilities, strict action will be taken,” said a senior official of the city corporation.
As per the Solid Waste Management Rules 2016, Indian Railways has been defined as a bulk waste generator. “As per the Act, it’s the responsibility of the railways to take care of the waste generated on its premises. They cannot simply discharge the liquid waste generated from cleaning the platforms and trains to canals and water bodies. We have sewage lines close to the railway premises having direct connection to Muttathara Sewage Treatment Plant and they can avail of this service for treating liquid waste,” said the official.
CM to convene high-level meet on Thursday
T’Puram: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will convene a high-level meeting on Thursday to discuss ways to address the piling up of huge quantity of garbage in the section of the Amayizhanchan canal that passes underneath the Central Railway station here. The meeting, to be held in online mode at 11.30am on Thursday, will be attended by the Divisional Railway Manager of Southern Railway in addition to ministers, elected representatives and officials of various departments.
According to the Chief Minister’s Office, ministers handling the portfolios of Local Self Government, PWD, Labour, Food, Railways, Health and Water Resources will attend the meeting. MPs, MLAs, chief secretary, secretaries of various departments and senior officials will also attend. The large scale accumulation of waste in the canal stretch (under railway property) is obstructing the natural flow of water, creating waterlogging. It is also causing health problems. The meeting is being convened in this backdrop,” the CMO said.