From the unenviable position of a trouble-maker to service provider, the Kochi Corporation has come a long way in managing municipal solid waste in the district.
It was a case of sweet revenge for those at the helm of affairs of the local body when they recently agreed to process the waste generated from the Defence establishments in Kochi.
Earlier, the Kochi Corporation had to plead with the Defence authorities for using the land in its possession for dumping garbage during the height of the garbage crisis in the city. The Navy, which initially allowed use of its land, subsequently withdrew the permission after incidents of bird hits to its aircraft. The refuse that was dumped at the site had attracted birds, which ended up in bird hits.
As the crisis intensified, the then civic administrators including former Mayor Mercy Williams had to seek the intervention of Defence Minister A.K. Antony for permission to continue to use the Navy’s land.
Recently, the Kochi Corporation agreed to process the refuse generated from the Defence establishments and fixed Rs.1,000 per tonne as the processing fee, said T.K. Ashraf, Chairman of the Health Standing Committee of the Kochi Corporation.
However, some technical glitches have surfaced in the deal. An individual, armed with the consent note of the Navy for processing the waste from the Defence establishments, had approached the local body for entering into the agreement. The local body cannot sign an agreement with an individual for processing the waste. An agreement can be signed only between the local body and the Navy. The local body has written to the Defence authorities explaining its position regarding the deal, said Mr. Ashraf.
Meanwhile, more local bodies have approached the Kochi Corporation with requests for processing the refuse collected from their respective areas. The requests from Paravur and Angamaly municipalities have been kept in pending as the infrastructure facilities have to be improved there. The local body has also initiated some maintenance works, he said. Besides the waste from its limits, the Kochi Corporation has also been processing the biodegradable waste from Thrikkakara, Kalamassery, Tripunithura and Aluva municipalities for a fee.
