The illegal dumping of waste along HMT Road and Seaport-Airport stretch in Kalamassery continues unabated.
The menace of illegal dumping in HMT estate, Seaport-Airport Road and NAD Road came to the fore again after a team of judges of the Kerala High Court, who visited the proposed site of the Judicial City on 27 acres at HMT estate on February 17, expressed concerns over the waste piles there. The court had ordered concrete steps to clear the heaps of waste on HMT Road and in nearby areas.
A team of officials of the health wing had launched a clean-up campaign last week following the directive. A section of the waste dump along HMT Road was cleared in a drive involving members of the Haritha Karma Sena and employees of the health wing of the municipality.
The drive was monitored by K. Mohammed Y. Safirulla, Special Secretary of the Department of Local Self-Government. Though the drive was launched, the civic body received flak for covering the waste heaps using soil along certain stretches of Seaport-Airport Road instead of removing it as per norms.
The officials of the civic body sought the help of the department in ensuring the cooperation of the authorities of the HMT and NAD in the drive against illegal dumping. The lack of surveillance cameras and sustained patrolling by the civic body had hampered efforts to check the illegal dumping.
The open burning of plastic and other waste heaps was also common in the areas. Local residents had lodged several complaints alleging breathing difficulties following the burning of waste in the open. The health wing of the municipality stated that waste generated in nearby municipalities and areas was being dumped in open spaces under its limits, especially during the night hours.
