World | India
Kerala uses force to reopen waste treatment facility
Villagers had locked plant because of pollution
- By Akhel Mathew, Correspondent
- Published: 00:00 February 5, 2012
Thiruvananthapuram: The stand-off between a village on the outskirts of Kerala's capital and the state government yesterday entered a new phase, with the state government using its powers to break open the lock to the garbage treatment facility in the village.
The authorities resorted to the unusual option, following the state high court's recent directive to have the garbage processing plant operational.
The plant had been locked by the local Vilappilsala panchayat after residents protested against degradation of the environment because of the dumping of waste.
A government team led by additional district magistrate P.K. Girija went to the treatment plant yesterday morning with a posse of policemen.
The team did not encounter any protests, and policemen broke open the lock of the treatment plant, in the first step towards restarting the plant.
Panchayat president Shobana Kumari said the local people did not oppose the reopening of the unit yesterday, because they did not want to object to a court directive.
However, the panchayat authorities are preparing to move the higher courts within the next two days.
Local people have complained about leachate from the processing plant polluting their water sources.
The residents said they would block the entry of garbage into the premises when garbage trucks reach the village.
They are upset because villages have to process garbage generated by the urban areas in the state.
Similar stand-offs between urban and rural local administration establishments have been reported from other parts of the state, including Kannur, Thrissur and Kottayam.
Meanwhile, Chief minister Oommen Chandy announced last week that every district in the state would have garbage processing plants.
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