Consensus in the Kottayam municipal council on managing the waste generated in the town still remains elusive.
The issue sparked a heated exchange between councillors of the ruling front during a council meet held here on Monday.
Even as December 31, the deadline for transporting waste from the municipal area to the dumping yard at Vadavathoor nears, the municipality is yet to finalise a full-fledged plan to address the raging issue.
Municipal authorities had made assurances to distribute waste processing aids to households; however, not much progress has been made in this regard. The council meeting failed to take any significant decisions on the matter.
Among the items on the agenda for the meeting was a waste management technique proposed by Joy Mathew, a lecturer at the Government Polytechnic College, Nattakom. The technique to process waste materials effectively was proposed in a project submitted to district and municipal authorities. A section of the councillors supported the proposal and claimed that the Pollution Control Board was considering implementing it. Another section, however, opposed the move saying there was as lack of clarity in the features of the project.
During the discussion, councillor B. Gopakumar’s remark on a decision made by Chief Minister Oommen Chandy during his previous term invited criticism from members of the ruling front, including Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee secretary Nattakom Suresh. Kottayam municipal chairman M.P. Santhosh Kumar managed to calm the situation by assuring councillors that the project would be given the go-ahead only after detailed discussion. Among other notable decisions taken at the council meet was the move to hike movie ticket rates following a request from most theatre owners in Kottayam.
Accordingly the revised rates will be as follows — Asha: (revised rate) Rs.90, (existing rate Rs.80); Abhilash: Abhilash Circle - Rs.90 (Rs.80), Upper Circle – Rs.60 (Rs.50); Anand: Golden Circle Rs.90 (Rs.80); Anaswara: Golden Circle Rs.70 (Rs.60), First Class - Rs.40 (Rs.35); Dhanya: Rs.100 (Rs.80); Remya: Rs.100 (Rs.80).
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