KOCHI: Observing that the Brahmapuram plant was worse than a dumpsite, the Kerala High Court on Monday directed the Kochi corporation secretary to submit a detailed chronology of the decisions that led to the passing over of the facility’s responsibility to a third-party agency.
The chronology, said the court, should have the mode and manner in which decisions are taken. It said the secretary should explain the manner in which free handover of responsibility to a third party is done. Details of payments made by the corporation – under heads like collection, transportation, handing over and treatment – for the past seven years to contractors or staff should be given, said the court. “This is fix the responsibility for the mishap (fire). Now, Kochi is rated as a highly-polluted city in India,” said the division bench headed by Justice S V Bhatti.
Displaying photographs portraying the pathetic condition of the plant, the court said, “A photo is always worth a thousand words.” It said the plant was working in violation of all norms regarding the handling of solid waste.
District Collector N S K Umesh, who appeared online, informed the court that the situation in Brahmapuram was under control with over 95% of the fire extinguished. There is improvement in air quality near the site, neighbourhood and in the city, said the collector, adding that he visited the plant recently and saw that the fire was totally extinguished in all seven sectors.
“We have engaged fire watchers and 10 teams of seven people each to scour the entire area. We have a short-term plan to buy infrared/smoke sensors to ensure there is no further smouldering or reignition,” Umesh said. To the court’s question regarding the facility of the plant and who is operating it, he replied that it was directly under the control of the corporation.
Meanwhile, an advocate informed the court regarding a death, allegedly due to the fire at Brahmapuram. The court said if any death took place following the incident, it would be the worst scenario. The court directed the government pleader to produce on Tuesday the name of the deceased, the hospital where the death was recorded, the person’s residence, the last area visited and whether the person was suffering from any ailments.
The chief environmental engineer of the Kerala State Pollution Control Board submitted that the facilities available with the plant were in a pathetic condition. The court asked the PCB about the plant’s efficacy and rapped it for not acting against the corporation and contractors for violating Solid Waste Management Rules.
“How could you take up the responsibility of protecting the environment if you cannot enforce the rules,” the court asked the chief engineer.
It also asked whether the PCB had assessed the impact of the accumulation of waste on the neighbourhood and other areas, to which the chief engineer answered in the negative. The court then sought to know whether collecting a fine for violation of rules and depositing it in bank would solve the problem. The HC will consider the matter on March 14.
KPCC DEMANDS JUDICIAL INQUIRY
Kochi: Amidst mounting criticism that the opposition Congress has not protested enough on the Brahmapuram issue, KPCC president K Sudhakaran on Monday visited the Brahmapuram waste treatment plant. In a scathing attack on Chief Minister for his continued silence over the Brahmapuram issue, Sudhakaran referred to him as a ‘waste’. “Pinarayi Vijayan, who visited many foreign countries and studied the waste treatment plant there, has not visited Brahmapuram so far and not responded over the issue,” he told reporters here.
He also called for a judicial inquiry into the fire that occurred at the plant. In a separate development, Hibi Eden, MP, wrote to the Lok Sabha Secretary General on Monday, requesting an adjournment motion notice on the Brahmapuram issue. Hibi urged the Union government to conduct a medical survey of the local residents to determine the health consequences of the incident and provide necessary treatment facilities.
He also demanded that those responsible for any human intervention in the fire should be identified and punished. Additionally, he requested the allocation of funds to build an advanced waste treatment plant and strengthen legal precautions to prevent future occurrences.