Joint press statement by Shri Prakash Javadekar, BJP Kerala Prabhari & MP, Shri V. Muraleedharan, Minister of State for External Affairs, Shri K.J. Alphons and Shri S. Suresh

 

Press Statement Issued by Shri Prakash Javadekar, BJP Kerala Prabhari & MP, Shri V. Muraleedharan, Minister of State for External Affairs, Shri K.J. Alphons and Shri S. Suresh

Cochin legacy waste dump fire is not a natural calamity but a manmade disaster, which could have been avoided if there would not have been a monumental corruption. What is interesting is that this is LDF-UDF alliance scam. BJP demands a CBI enquiry to unearth this worst scam.

 

A massive fire broke out at the municipal solid waste dump site of Cochin Corporation at Brahmapuram on 02^nd March 2023. Smoke and toxic elements from the fire engulfed the whole city of Cochin as well as nearby municipalities and panchayats. There are allegations of sabotage element in the fire outbreak to hide complete failure of waste management. This needs further investigation.

 

Lakhs of people experienced cough, vomiting, nausea, skin & eye irritation, respiratory problems, altered taste, headache, hypertension, fatigue etc. Thousands of people resorted to private medical treatment and shifted to away from the impact range of the fire and smoke.

 

There used to be fire practically every year on a small scale as there was no scientific waste management or waste treatment on 110 acres of dump site. The fire department has recommended to provide necessary fire prevention measures and fire fighting facilities at the site. These recommendations were never implemented.

 

BJP has sent the fact-finding team and many journalists and CPCB team also visited the site and has noted their observations. In the initial phases corporation created a treatment facility for processing 250 TPD solid waste comprising sheds for windrow composting but within a year the structures sank into marshy land owing poor quality of construction because of huge corruption. Practically since inception of the facility the unsegregated solid waste was dumped in the site without making provision for stopping ground water contamination. Every year this dump legacy waste increased and became a hillock.

 

MSW dump site at Brahmapuram is located within the marshy land and very close to the river Kadambrayar, which is now polluted and it is reported that there is water supply from this river to export processing zone, Info Park and Smart City. 

 

In 2021, contract was given to M/s Zonta Infratech Pvt. Ltd. to bio-mine the waste. Immediately the Zonta Infratech gave sub-contract to Arash Meenakshi Envirocare. There is no apparent proof of legacy waste being processed. Bio-mining of legacy waste was never been proper and scientific. Thus, on the site there is no plant for segregation, no plant for processing and bio-mining the waste. Ultimately it resulted in increase of dump waste every day.

 

Zonta Infratech got solid waste management contracts for Kannur, Kollam and Kozhikode. There was meeting of CM with Zonta’s Japanese partner for Kozhikode waste management.

 

Kannur and Kollam corporations have terminated their contracts with Zonta Infratech and there is agitation in Kozhikode demanding termination of the contract. Kerala Govt. need to see the legacy waste management in Indore and Goa, which are the success stories of scientific waste management. 

 

Media has reported that the owner of the contractor company Zonta is son-in-law of former LDF Convenor. Media has also reported that the sub-contract was given to Arash Meenakshi Envirocare, owner of which is a son-in-law of former KPCC General Secretary. It seems that it is a LDF-UDF alliance scam. People are also raising questions on Chief Minister’s Europe visit where he alleged to have a meeting with Zonta company executives.

 

BJP demands CBI enquiry in this Son-in-Law LDF-UDF scam, which will bring out the truth behind the dump waste fire in Cochin.

 

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