Kochi: The Kochi corporation’s Brahmapuram waste treatment plant is stinking with corruption charges as there is no monitoring system to check its daily operation.
The private contractor entrusted with shuffling and rearranging the garbage piles in the dumping yard using earth movers submits a bill of Rs.35 lakh to Rs.38 lakh every month. The civic authorities are not concerned of the huge bills for operating one or two earth movers in the dumping yard.
The weighing machine at the yard was damaged and even the recently- installed cameras are not functioning. Sources said that the corporation was incurring huge losses due to lack of a monitoring system at Brahmapuram.
“The corporation invites tenders every year for shuffling garbage piles in the dumping yard. The same contractor has been getting the contract for the last few years because the tender norms are framed in such a way that no other person can participate. Every month, bills worth Rs.35 lakh to Rs.38 lakh are submitted to the civic body which are cleared without any scrutiny,” alleged the sources.
“There is no system to monitor whether the machines are being operated every day from morning till evening, as entered in the bills. The civic administration’s efforts to streamline the functioning of the plant were sabotaged. Though cameras were installed after the visit of the National Green Tribunal delegation, they are not functional. If cameras are installed at important spots in the yard, the irregularities will be exposed,” sources added.
The computerised weighing bridge at the yard is not functioning and the weight of the garbage is entered manually, which is allegedly to help the contractor for indulging in malpractice.
Meanwhile, responding to the allegations, health standing committee member and CPM councillor V.P. Chan dran said that steps were afoot to invite tenders to procure a new automatic weighing machine to prevent irregularities in weighing the garbage.
“It is a fact that there is no monitoring system for Brahmapuram plant. Allegations against the operation of earth movers and the huge monthly bills will be looked into,” he added.
