No let-up in illegal waste dumping in Ernakulam
The Hindu
Lack of concerted action on the part of local bodies and enforcement agencies to blame
Illegal waste dumping spaces seem to be on the rise in Kochi and its outskirts, as unauthorised persons and firms store and dispose of waste in violation of the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016, according to official findings.
The lack of concerted action on the part of enforcement agencies and local bodies was evident in the latest episode of such illegal dumping at Kalamassery. An inquiry by the State Pollution Control Board (PCB) found that a few people who had taken a private land at Kalamassery on lease for storing non-biodegradable waste had dumped it there without obtaining permission from the Kalamassery Municipality. The civic body initiated action only after complaints were lodged against the illegal dump in the one-acre plot near Seaport-Airport Road.
Those who had taken the land on lease agreed to shift the waste, while claiming that it would be collected by a firm engaged in plastic manufacturing. However, they failed to produce relevant documents to prove that the firm was authorised to collect and transport waste as per the Solid Waste Management Rules. It was later found that the waste was illegally dumped at a site near Willingdon Island during night hours, according to PCB officials.
The election authorities are gearing up for the counting of votes cast in the simultaneous elections to Lok Sabha and Assembly seats in Andhra Pradesh, scheduled to be held on June 4. The Collectors and Election Officers of Visakhapatnam, Anakapalli and Alluri Sitharama Raju (ASR) districts said on May 23 (Thursday) that their teams were ready for the counting of votes.
Responding to the prolonged water scarcity, the residents of the area took to the streets in protest on Wednesday. The protest, which drew attention to their plight, stopped only after the intervention of the police. It was not until 1.30 p.m. that a 4000-litre tanker was finally delivered by BWSSB, providing relief to the water-starved residents.