Kozhikode: The city is yet to wake up to the menace of plastic waste even after the High Court on June 10 banned the burning of solid waste, including rubber and plastic, in public places and ordered the police to book the violators. The city corporation has entered into an agreement with organisations like Niravu for recycling the waste, but the project is yet to reach majority of the houses in the city limit. The issue turned serious after the Kudumbasree workers also stopped collecting plastic waste from the houses.
DCP D. Sali says that immediate action would be taken against the violators. As per the High Court verdict, the offence is punishable under IPC 268 and 269 i.e., as public nuisance and negligent act is likely to spread infection of diseases dangerous to life. A penalty of one-year imprisonment or a fine of Rs 5,000 or both can also be slapped on offenders under the Kerala Police Act 120 (e).
Police sources say that arresting the cleaning workers can do more harm than good, as already there is a shortage of cleaning staff in the city. The residents and businessmen along Aravind Ghosh road, which is the main site for dumping waste, say that their repeated request to the corporation had no impact.
“I work at Universal Arts school where nearly 100 people study, irrespective of age. The public as well as cleaning staff dump the waste, mainly plastic, on the pavement of this road. Even the traffic is disrupted, and there is the threat of mosquitoes spreading diseases,” said artist K.A. Sebastian.
Mayor Thottathil Raveendran said that the corporation had already entered into an agreement with Niravu, a recycling and organic farming unit in Vengeri, to dispose of plastic. “The Niravu unit has already started its operation in some of the wards in the corporation. Once the project is ready in all wards, the city’s plastic menace can be tackled,” the Mayor said.
The city currently has only a single plastic recycling unit being run by an individual in West Hill, after the corporation’s unit on the beach turned dysfunctional. The unit’s owner, Razaq, says that people are not ready to segregate the waste and the unit had to stop accepting waste from the Kudumbasree.
Kudumbasree stops plastic waste collection
The city residents are in a dilemma where to dump their plastic and other non-biodegradable waste after a High Court order banning the burning of solid waste, including rubber and plastic. The Kudumbasree workers have stopped colleting plastic waste in the city and the public are not able to burn it in the open space due to the ban.
Though corporation health standing committee chairman K.V. Baburaj promised that source-level waste management would be effective in the corporation limit, that can replace Kudumbasree, the residents have no clue about when this project will come into force. According to the source-level waste management plan, recycling plants would be installed in each house complex and the waste generated can be recycled and used for individual purposes. The plastic shredding unit on the beach remains dysfunctional. Mr Baburaj said that tender would be called from prospective parties to run the unit.
