Sustainable handling of waste generated in the municipal area is a key issue at Kalamassery, which is gearing up to elect its new municipal council members. The outgoing chairperson, Rukia Jamal of the United Democratic Front (UDF), claimed that the municipal council was able to bring a semblance of order to the issue of waste management in its term.
She said dumping of waste in some of the areas in the municipality had been brought under control. Besides, she said, waste was sorted and biodegradable materials were despatched regularly to the Brahamapuram waste treatment centre of the Kochi Corporation.
However, outgoing councillor Henny Baby of the CPI(M) said that the UDF rule was a failure considering the fact that the political front had been in power over the past 25 years in the municipality. Despite the continuity of the UDF rule, the council failed to find a solution to the problem of waste management. People still continued to dump waste in public places even as the municipal authorities turned a blind eye to the issue, she said.
She also slammed the outgoing council for its failure to build residential flat complexes for the landless under the LIFE housing project. She said the municipality had more than five acres of land, which could have been utilised to build the complexes.
However, the outgoing chairperson denied the allegation. She said there had been some delay in identifying land and getting its price fixed by the district administration. At the same time, 320 houses had been completed for eligible applicants under the Prime Minister’s housing scheme, she added claiming that it was one of the biggest achievements of the UDF rule.
“The municipality had also been able to build good roads. No roads are in bad condition in the municipal area,” she said. The outgoing chairperson also claimed that the municipal authorities were able to clear up the drainage system and clean water reservoirs immediately after the floods in the State in 2018 and 2019.
She added that the UDF wanted to find space for a treatment plant, which would finally end the problem of waste management. “The municipality had struggled to identify a piece of land for the purpose, but not land is available with it now,” she said.