New Mayor to focus on completion of WTE plant

The new Mayor of Kozhikode, Beena Philip, wants to develop the waste-to-energy (WTE) plant coming up at Njeliyanparamba as a successful model so that the public will have more faith in waste management projects.

Speaking to reporters after her swearing-in on Monday, Ms. Philip said that she seriously wanted the new plant to be a success. “Whenever there is a waste management project planned, there is always a certain amount of protest from people in the vicinity of the proposed sites. We need to prove that their apprehensions are baseless if we need to have more waste management projects,” she said.

Ms. Philip said that fulfilling the promises in the LDF election manifesto would be the top priority for the newly elected council. “We will also check out the pending projects of the previous council and strive to complete them. Also, more projects will be incorporated into the plan after direct interactions with the public,” she said.

Earlier, in her address after swearing-in, Ms.Philip sought the support of the whole council, irrespective of differences in ideologies, for the development of Kozhikode city. “Positive criticism is always welcome. But they should not be personal,” she said. Later, appreciating Musafir Ahamed on his being elected as the Deputy Mayor, she said that his ability and experience in the council and as a social worker would add to her strengths.