Local bodies told to act on waste disposal

ALAPPUZHA: The additional district magistrate(ADM) P K Thampi, who is in-charge of district collectorate, directed all the local bodies in the district to take immediate steps for the effective treatment of solid waste generated in their limits. The ADM was chairing the district development council(DDC) meeting held at collectorate conference hall in Alappuzha on Saturday.
"All the local bodies especially Alappuzha municipality should submit a report in this connection and union minister of state for power K C Venugopal will hold a meeting on May 28 at collectorate and will review the reports submitted by the local bodies. The MLAs, heads of local bodies and various government department heads will attend the meeting,'' the ADM said.
"Now most local bodies here failed to handle the waste treatment issue properly and seriously. The solid waste movement from Alappuzha district headquarters is now in standstill. All these problems should be settled soon. Otherwise, it will create serious health problems for the people,'' Thampi said.
District transport officer said that the Alappuzha depot will start two fast passenger bus services from Alappuzha civil station to Kayamkulam and Ernakulam at 5.10 pm.
Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme district joint prorgramme co-ordinator informed the DDC that as per the rules, they are unable to deploy MGNREGA workers for the treatment of solid waste dumped by Alappuzha municipality in municipality's Sarvodayapuram waste treatment plant. The ADM said that the district administration would approach the state for getting a special permission for deploying MGNREGA workers in the plant as the functioning of the waste treatment plant is in a dire state.