The Cabinet on Wednesday gave clearance to establishment of modern waste treatment plants in the districts, depending on the availability of land.
Briefing the media on the Cabinet decisions, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said that the first two would be set up at Brahmapuram in Kochi and Njelianparambu in Kozhikode near the existing waste treatment facilities. The government and the Thiruvananthapuram City Corporation would identify the land for treatment plant in the city. The Finance Minister K. M. Mani and Revenue Minister Thiuruvanchoor Radhakrishnan had promised to find land for the plant in Kottayam. Plants would be sanctioned to other districts upon the local self governments identifying suitable land.
The Chief Minister said that the new plants would have facilities for treating biodegradable waste and plastic separately. Since the plant requires only about five acres, extra space would become available in Kochi as well as Kozhikode. These would be used for industrial projects generating employment.
The government, he said, is encouraging treatment of waste in a decentralised manner and this resulted in reduction in waste that needed to be treated centrally.
Mr. Chandy said that the Kerala Health Services Persons and Healthcare Service Institutions (Prevention of Violence and Damage to Property) Ordinance for extending protection to hospital staff from violence would be reissued. An ordinance would also be issued to amend the Kerala Farmers’ Debt Relief Commission Act. The Act would enable the government to consider applications for relief from farmers for outstanding loans as on November 31, 2010 and notify farming areas in distress. The existing legislation only provided for relief on loans outstanding as in January 2006.
The Chief Minister said that the objection raised by Governor H. R. Bhardwaj to repeated repromulgation of a large number of ordinances a month ago was justified. The reissue of ordinances had become necessary as the Assembly had met for a day to consider resolution on Mullaperiyar issue. Usually, the Assembly passed Bills to replace most of the standing Ordinances; but last time that could not be done because session was only for a day. This had been explained to the Governor and the Governor had promulgated the Ordinances.
