Will Tamil Nadu plant inspire them?

KOCHI: Kochi Corporation has always played truant when it comes to the Brahmapuram Waste Treatment Plant. Now the latest gimmick is the proposed visit of the authorities to the Coimbatore plant in Ukkadam to learn about the working of the solid waste treatment plant.The authorities concerned have informed that they are visiting the plant on Saturday.Earlier, it was planned that Mayor Tony Chammany, MLAs Benny Behnan and Hibi Eden will visit the plant. Later, the decision was changed. Now Mayor Tony Chammany, Opposition leader K J Jacob and standing committee chairmen will visit the plant on Saturday. The treatment plant in Ukkadam treats the sewage water that flows into it from the areas that already have underground drainage system whereas the treatment plant in Brahmapuram was set up to process solid waste. Hence, the proposed visit will be of no use. According to Town Planning Standing Committee chairman K J Sohan, “The visit to the plant in Ukkadam will help us to resolve the garbage issue in the city.”The visit has been confirmed by Gayathri Raj Murali, Councillor, Coimbatore Corporation. A former convenor of Brahmapuram Action Council said that, “Though the authorities concerned had confirmed that they will undertake sanitary land filling on a war footing they have not done that so far. What they are doing is just burying the waste and burning the leftovers,” he said. The local people will suffer if a new plant is installed at Puthenkurishu as the garbage from every nook and cranny of the city will be dumped here.