Left Democratic Front (LDF) councillors in the Thiruvananthapuram City Corporation, on Wednesday, organised a Secretariat dharna in protest against the alleged lackadaisical attitude of the State government in dealing with the garbage disposal crisis in the city.
Former minister and Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI-M) leader M. Vijayakumar inaugurated the dharna. V. Sivankutty, MLA, CPI(M) district secretary Kadakampally Surendran, Mayor K. Chandrika, Deputy Mayor G. Happykumar, and Corporation standing committee chairpersons participated.
Alternative
Ms. Chandrika said the State government should urgently come up with an alternative solution to deal with the garbage being generated in the city in the wake of the closure of the Vilappilsala solid-waste treatment plant by the Vilappil panchayat.
Corporation Works standing committee chairman V.S. Padmakumar said that instead of coming up with technologies to solve the issues related to the Vilappilsala treatment plant, the State government had abandoned the plant and the facilities there.
Public protest
“As long as the State government moots a new plant without addressing the issues at Vilappilsala, there will be public opposition. Instead of looking for a new location for setting up a solid-waste treatment plant, the government should come up with innovative solutions for Vilappilsala,” Mr. Padmakumar said.
He said the LDF would continue its protest campaign until the government came up with a feasible solution to the garbage management crisis.
On Thursday, a protest march led by Mayor K. Chandrika will be taken out from Muttada ward to the residence of the Chief Minister. This will be followed by a half-day dharna.
“We have planned similar protest marches and dharna for the next 30 days,” Mr. Padmakumar added.
