Even as the mediation meeting on the Vilappilsala solid waste treatment plant issue, held at the Kerala Mediation Centre of the High Court, failed to make any headway on Monday, the City Corporation is getting ready to transport machinery to complete the construction of a leachate treatment unit at the plant.
It was decided at a meeting of top police officials here recently that machinery would be transported to the plant soon.
Corporation Mayor K. Chandrika had written to the State Police Chief seeking police protection to transport construction material and machinery to the plant in the wake of the Supreme Court directive on April 17.
“We have the directives of the Supreme Court and the High Court in our favour and we are going ahead with our plans. Transportation of machinery to the plant is an urgent matter as it is indispensible to the completion of works on the leachate treatment plant.
Since the police have agreed to facilitate this, we have decided to move the machinery to the plant soon,” Ms. Chandrika said.
The mediation meeting remained inconclusive with both the Vilappil panchayat and the Corporation remaining firm on their individual stands.
The Corporation informed the mediation committee that they did not wish to go ahead with the mediation process as long as the Vilappil panachayat remained adamant on their demand for a complete closure of the plant.
Representatives of the Corporation, Vilappil panchayat, Vilappilsala Janakeeya Samithi, Suchitwa Mission, and State government attended the session.
“The Corporation representatives said that there was no meaning in going ahead with the mediation talk as long as the panchayat and the Janakeeya Samithi refused to budge.
Concern
They said the Corporation Council had also expressed concern regarding the dragging on of the mediation process, especially after the panchayat refused to cooperative with the transportation of machinery and clay,” a senior government official said.
It was decided to hold one more round of talks on June 15 as a last-ditch attempt. Both the Corporation and the Vilappil panchayat had been directed to convene their Council and committee meetings, respectively, and garner opinion from their elected representatives on the issue.
