A Division Bench of the Kerala High Court on Thursday observed that the Kochi Corporation could not brush aside its statutory obligation to implement waste management measures on flimsy grounds.
The Bench comprising Chief Justice Manjula Chellur and Justice A.M.Shaffique while disposing of a public interest litigation filed by the Kerala Federation of Women Lawyers said that the corporation was bound to implement the waste management measures by creating awareness among the public at large.
The court expressed the hope that the corporation would take up the waste management measures as a priority issue and work towards “keeping a clean and tidy environment” for the residents.
In view of the fact that appropriate steps had been taken by the local authority, the court said that it did not think that any further directions were required. Besides, the waste management measures could not be done within a specified time limit. This was a programme which should be worked out with the active participation of the residents and the waste generating institutions.
The Bench observed that waste management was a daily affair and unless the corporation was keen to implement a proper programme to dispose of the solid wastes as well as waste generated in the corporation area, the obligation cast on them under the statues would remain unfulfilled.
The government submitted that steps were being taken to implement waste management project at Brahmapuram. As a temporary measure, the government had accorded sanction for promoting source-level treatment of biodegradable waste at households and institutions and the remaining waste could be collected and treated in the existing plant at Brahmapuram.
