Vadavathoor to be shut down on Dec 31

By Sachin Jose

KOTTAYAM: The municipality is unsure of adhering to the Dec 31 deadline to stop dumping organic waste at Vadavathoor, while local residents insist on shutting it down the same day.

    According to the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) betweem Vijayapuram Panchayat and the municipality reached on July 6, all waste except organic shall be transported to the dumping yard from next year.

    However, Vijayapuram Panchayat President Baiju Cherukottayil said, "On New Year's Eve, the dumping yard will be shut down and even inorganic waste will not be allowed."

    A local resident, Raju Thomas, said, "We were betrayed by successive governments over years. We are ready to face the police and the court as we did six months ago, but no more garbage will be allowed here."

    But, Municipal Chairman MP Santhosh Kumar said that he is "not sure" of sticking to the deadline. "The municipality owns the plot of the dumping yard. However, we signed the MoU in the light of public interest."

    "The so-called Vadavathoor issue is fifty years old and we may not have a solution in six months," added Mr Kumar. "But, we have taken necessary measures, provided we receive support from the public." 

    However, District Collector Ajit Kumar, who chairs the Monitoring Committee to review the progress of waste management, said if either party fails to follow the MoU, the committee will take necessary action and the matter will be discussed Tuesday next.