The ongoing agitation by local residents of Ramanthali against the sewage treatment plant (STP) of the Indian Naval Academy (INA) at nearby Ezhimala picked up momentum with political parties joining the protest in solidarity with the issue of alleged contamination of local water resources raised by the protesting residents.
The local residents of Ramanthali inhabiting the area close to the STP of the INA campus have been staging protests outside the gate of the INA at Ramanthali over the past three weeks demanding the shifting of the STP which they said is contaminating their ground water wells.
The venue of the agitation witnessed hectic activity, with workers and leaders of the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) visiting the protesting residents to express their solidarity.
District Congress president Satheeshan Pacheni staged a one-day fast on Monday at Ramanthali in solidarity with the agitation.
Leader of the Opposition Ramesh Chennithala and former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy had visited the venue of the agitation a few days ago. The demand of the local residents also secured support of the BJP, with the party leader K. Surendran visiting the protest venue on Monday afternoon. The BJP leader also met the INA officers.
The District Pollution Control Board had served a showcause notice on the INA for operating the STP without the proper official consent from the board. As per the rule, the STP could be operated only after securing the PCB’s permit after inspection. The permit should also be periodically renewed.
“The INA has given an interim reply to the showcause notice, assuring that a detailed report will be submitted,” M.N. Krishnan, DPCB Environment Engineer, told The Hindu . The detailed report answering specific issues raised in the showcause notice is yet to be received, he said.
Action committee convener K.P. Rajendran said that the agitation would be intensified from Tuesday as the INA authorities were yet to respond to the action committee proposal for decentralising the STP to mitigate the water contamination problem.
During the earlier discussion, the INA officials had sought time for 10 days to respond to the proposal, he said adding that the 10-day time ended on Sunday.
The INA’s response to the issue was not immediately available.
