The management of the Kalamassery-based HMT Machine Tools has taken strong exception to allegations that it was not cooperative in stopping dumping of waste on its sprawling campus.
A statement issued by its general manager S. Balamurugesan on Thursday dispelled the charges, before going on to add that the company was not responsible for the dumping of waste by the public, which was beyond its control. The company also attributed the trend to anti-social activities carried out with the help of miscreants to malign its reputation.
In a story on the alarming frequency of fire breakouts on refuse dumped on the HMT campus carried by The Hindu on Wednesday, Nishad A.K., health standing committee chairman of the Kalamasserry Municipality, had blamed the alleged unresponsiveness of the company to the municipality’s notices on dumping of waste on its property. “It is their responsibility to ensure that their property is not turned into a waste dumping ground,” he had said.
“Earlier, our estate areas were totally fenced with concrete pillars and barbed wires, which were destroyed with the help of anti-social elements. Whenever we objected these anti-social activities for protecting our properties, political intervention prevented our efforts. Our security forces are patrolling round-the-clock to track the culprits. In spite of all such vigil, some miscreants have been dumping waste in the company compound and nearby roads,” the statement said.
It further said that the absence of street lights along Seaport-Airport Road further aided dumping of waste even from other municipalities and the Kochi Corporation. The management claimed that it had been asking the municipality to lit up the road and the police to strengthen patrolling since 2007 through various letters.
The statement also accused the municipality of turning a deaf ear to the demand to deploy CCTV cameras to track down those dumping waste and to take strict action against offenders. “But our complaints were not taken seriously, and no such strict actions were taken by officials to protect our land from disposal of waste,” it added.