KOCHI: Solid waste treatment has always been a headache for the city administration. The people of Kochi have not forgotten the days when the city streets were flanked by garbage piles with the air stinking. Though garbage piles are hardly seen today nobody seems to give a thought for the crores of rupees wasted on the Brahmapuram Solid Waste Treatment Plant. With the commissioning of the plant Kochiites ahd heaved a sigh of relief but it was not to last long.The proposed Refuse Dervid Fuel (RDF) Plant, another component of the Brahmapuram for handling non-degradable waste, is also not functioning. In almost all cities 20 to 30 per cent waste is non-degradable stuff. The Brahmapuram Solid Waste Treatment Plant was implemented under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM). Of the `88.12 crore sanctioned for solid waste management under JNNURM, `35.95 crore has been used by the corporation. Of this, nearly `20 crore was used for the construction of the Brahmapuram plant alone. The plant, which was set up on 102 acres of land acquired by the civic body in Brahmapuram, was inaugurated on March 20, 2008. The plant which has a capacity of 250 tonnes, could never achieve its capacity and remains in a bad state since there were operational problems from the start itself. Besides, certain structural defects were also found later. “Only 50 per cent of waste generated in the city can be treated at the plant now. Around 125 tonnes of waste is collected from the city every day. However, only 50 per cent of this can be treated at the plant now,” said Health Standing Committee chairman T K Ashraf. The corporation is all set to invite expression of interest for a new plant at Brahmapuram which the corporation authorities claim can handle all kinds of waste. “The council has passed a proposal for a Vigilance probe into the condition of the existing plant which was constructed during the tenure of the previous council. The expression of interest for the new plant to be set up under public-private participation (PPP) is being prepared and will be published soon. “We have land at Brahmapuram as we have utilised only around 35 acres for the existing plant,” Ashraf said.However, N A Mani, former Health Standing Committee chairman alleged that lapse on the part of the present ruling front led to the present crisis. “The Brahmapuram plant was constructed under the supervision of the-then District Collector. The previous council did not have much role in it. We are ready to face any probe. However, one cannot say that money was wasted for the Brahmapuram plant. After the plant was commissioned, the city never witnessed waste piling up. The UDF, which came to power this time did not pay much attention to the plant and this worsened the issues at the beginning itself,” Mani said.
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