Mins defend Zonta as Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan stays silent

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Even as Brahmapuram became a burning issue in the assembly too on Monday, chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan continued his silence on the matter. Opposition leader V D Satheesan alleged that Zonta Infratech was behind the fire, thus warranting a CBI probe, and local self-government (LSG) minister M B Rajesh was behaving like the company's representative.
Raising the matter while seeking leave for adjournment motion, MLA T J Vinod, who was the deputy mayor of Kochi corporation during UDF rule, said that the Brahmapuram issue is one of the biggest human-induced disasters in the state. Health minister Veena George and Rajesh defended the government and Kochi corporation blaming the previous UDF rule and the circumstances under which the government decided to take over the Brahmapuram waste disposal under the Disaster Management Act.
Rajesh said that the decision to dump all wastes of the nearby seven municipalities at Brahmapuram was taken during the UDF rule. "When the green tribunal ordered scientific removal of waste at Brahmapuram, UDF that ruled the corporation then deferred the agenda from the corporation council meeting 23 times, thus forcing the government to take over the waste disposal," he said. The company has enough experience in the sector and has undertaken similar projects in 12 cities in 12 states, including in Congress-ruled Rajasthan and Chattisgarh.
Health minister Veena George said that a series of meetings had been convened since March 3, when the fire was reported, and explained various measures undertaken by the health department to ensure public health. Stating that only 851 persons availed medical aid at hospitals while many had taken self-treatment, she said that the health department would begin a comprehensive door-to-door survey to find out the actual health issues the people in the affected area faced.
Satheesan slammed both ministers and said that when health experts opined declaring a medical emergency in Kochi, the health minister had stated that there was no such situation in Kochi. "The government's strategy of trivializing the issue made it more critical. The government is waiting for the remaining waste to burn off, so that it can save the contractor company," he said.
When the situation is such that water and air are completely polluted, the chief minister who is handling the environment department has neither taken any action nor even engaged an agency to study health issues and the impact on the environment, he alleged. "Three years have passed since government decided to take over disposal of legacy waste at Brahmapuram. But nothing has materialised so far," he added.
Satheesan alleged that Zonta Infratech has never in its history undertaken works worth Rs 10 crore. "The company was even sued by the Germans and the German amsbassador was directly involved in taking legal action against the company. The LSG minister is defending such a company," he said. The government should seek a CBI probe into the Brahmapuram incident, he added.
Opposition MLAs then shouted slogans and raised a banner in front of the speaker's dais that read "Kochiye Kollaruth" (Don't kill Kochi). The opposition then boycotted the day's proceedings.