THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The morning walkers and temple-goers in the Fort area, for whom the early hours used to provide bliss and freshness, have found their routine getting unsettled these days. The choking smoke rising from burning plastic in every nook and cranny of the area is raising serious concern.Fort is not the lone sufferer, many wards are. But none of them has come forward to accommodate plastic-shredder units in their wards and settle the plastic waste issue once and for all. Except Palayam.Steps have been taken to build a shed adjacent to the Palayam market area, where the shredder unit will come up in two weeks. The shredder machine was bought by the previous Council under the solid waste management programme of JNNURM.Though the Corporation had tried to put up the unit at Manacaud market as planned by the previous Council, the councillor and locals had come up in arms against the move.The industrial estate at Pappanamcode was then chosen; however, it was a repeat of Manacaud and the Corporation had to drop its plan. The local body then held talks with the Railway officials for putting up the unit near the Thampanoor railway station. According to Corporation officials, the Railway was willing, but would not allow plastic from other places."They said only plastic from the ward would be treated, which we thought was not a good idea,’’ said a Corporation official. "Now that the Palayam councillor has come forward, we will be installing the machine near the market. We have also identified some other places, but won’t disclose them now, or else, the locals would start raising protests. We want to make them understand that plastic shredders are not to be equated with stench or leachate as in a waste treatment plant,’’ said Pushpalatha, Health Standing Committee Chairperson.Palayam Rajan, councillor of Palayam, said that the construction of a shed to put up the shredder was set to begin, and in two weeks, the unit would come up; hopefully.The previous Council had identified three markets, including Manacaud and Peroorkada, to set up shredder units, where plastic waste would be crushed and made into blocks.
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