The Hygiene Protocol of the Kozhikode Corporation, one of the key projects of the new council, will soon be a reality. Health standing committee chairperson S. Jayasree said the protocol would be in effect by the end of the month.
The expert committee consisting of several former officials, environmentalists, and representatives of non-governmental organisations had prepared a draft of the project just a month after it was announced. “But we could not do anything about it as it was the time the second wave of COVID-19 hit and the whole health wing was busy dealing with it,” said Ms. Jayasree.
The draft was recently approved by the health standing committee. A seminar will be held by the second week of August to facilitate a discussion on the draft by experts from various fields. The suggestions made by the experts will be incorporated into the draft with the help of the committee that prepared it before it is tabled in the Corporation Council.
Having been conferred the hygiene status in 2020, ensuring hygiene and sanitation has become the biggest challenge for the Kozhikode Corporation, especially amid the pandemic. Deputy Mayor C.P. Musafir Ahamed, during the budget session in February, had said that the Hygiene Protocol would be announced by the end of the year.
A 20-point task plan has been formulated to facilitate the protocol. The collection of solid waste by Haritha Karma Sena (HKS) is a major factor in maintaining the hygiene status of the city. The Corporation plans to strengthen the HKS with the cooperation of commercial establishments as well as residents’ associations. Regular medical check-up and ensuring availability of masks, gloves, and uniforms for the HKS are also part of the plan.
The Corporation will make active intervention to set up some sort of biodegradable waste processing facility in every household. Arrangements will be made for the public to file complaints online against those who dump waste in public places and strict action will be taken. Health cards will be made mandatory for all labourers in the city.
