The Kadungalloor panchayat has opposed the move by the district administration to set up a common facility for proper disposal of construction and demolition waste generated in the district.
The proposed facility is being envisaged on a 2-acre land in ward 18 of the panchayat. It will be the first of its kind if the project turns a reality, according to the district administration. However, panchayat representatives have made it clear that they would take the legal recourse once the authorities decide to go ahead with the implementation process without addressing their concerns.
“The proposed site is close to a residential area. Moreover, the original plan has included a facility for processing chicken and other meat waste. The site is also near to paddy fields and any such project will have a detrimental impact on people and the ecology here,” said Suresh Muttathil, president of the Kadungalloor panchayat.
“We have requested the district administration to identify land in the Edayar industrial area and shift the facility from the current location. The district administration should not insist on having the facility in the panchayat in the best interests of people here,” he said.
Allaying the fears of the panchayat representatives, the district authorities pointed out that their priority is to have the facility for processing construction and demolition waste in the first phase. It will be a state-of-the-art facility, which would crush construction and demolition waste and convert it into blocks. It could be also recycled and used as pavement blocks, they said.
The functioning of the plant will be monitored before sanctioning other approvals. The licence and other approvals granted to the firm chosen to set up the plant will be cancelled, if they violate rules, according to the authorities.
District Collector Jafar Malik said that such projects had been successfully implemented in other places. The district administration is ready to hold discussions with the elected representatives to clear their doubts, he said.
