: A Division Bench of the Kerala High Court on Friday directed the State government and the Kochi Corporation to respond to a public interest writ petition seeking a directive to the government not to go ahead with the proposed waste-to-energy plant at Brahmapuram without conducting a feasibility study, including environment impact assessment.
The Bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Ashok Bhushan and Justice A.M. Shaffique issued the directive on the petition filed by T.C. Sajithi, vice-president, All India Youth Federation (AIYF), State unit.
The petitioner said the proposal had kicked up a controversy after the corporation passed a resolution ratifying the order of the Mayor inviting Request for Qualification (RFQ) from companies for participation in the project. The Opposition had raised doubts about feasibility of the proposed plant, financial viability and impact on environmental.
The petitioner said he was not against the project but was opposed to implementing it without any feasibility studies. Replicating the waste treatment plant in other parts of the country and abroad based on thermal technology would not be suitable for Kochi, he said.
The petitioner alleged the Request for Qualification was published without following the norms. It had not considered whether a global tender could be floated. Besides, no study was conducted on possible hazards. A waste-to energy plant set up at Chettichavadi in Tamil Nadu was gutted in a fire. It was not assessed whether the plant would pollute nearby Kadambrayar.
The government has claimed that the plant was being set up on the basis of the RVG Menon Committee recommendations.
However, it was not true, the petitioner said. The RVG Menon committee had recommended that energy recovery through biomethanation should be preferred and thermal processes such as incineration, gasification etc were not desirable for biodegradable fraction.
The method of using incinerators to convert municipal solid waste to energy was outdated.
Several countries had started adopting newer and emerging technologies, the petition said.
