The special squad appointed by the district administration to conduct surprise checks on tanker lorries supplying drinking water in Ernakulam has reported before the Legislative Petition Committee that it received no help from the Kalamassery police during the inspection held on December 24.
Despite informing of the surprise check and requesting help, the squad did not receive any assistance from the Kalamassery police station. The cooperation of the police and the Motor Vehicles Department (MVD) is crucial, especially when tankers have to be stopped for inspection, said a report submitted by the squad.
However, the Kalamassery Circle Inspector said no one had contacted him personally in connection with the inspection. The squad members said they had contacted the police station on its landline. “We had also told the police personnel, who received the call, that the inspection point would be opposite the waste dumping yard at North Kalamassery, and that it would start at 10 a.m,” they said.
Maintaining that the present constitution of the special squad lacked teeth, the report suggested that coordination could be done by the District Disaster Management Authority at the collectorate.
Moreover, slapping penalty and banning collection of water from contaminated sources can be done effectively under the provisions of the Disaster Management Act, it said. The report added that the squad would have to be expanded in view of the fact that tanker lorries were also used for construction purposes and transportation of septic waste. The system, which requires the support of GPS and police security, could be co-ordinated from the collectorate, it suggested.
