KOCHI: Breaking the deadlock over the treatment of garbage generated in the city, Kochi corporation authorities have decided to entrust the operations of the solid waste treatment plant at Brahmapuram to a new contractor. It is learnt that the new firm will take over the operations of the plant on March 1 and until then the existing contractor will continue.
Though the corporation council held on Monday unanimously decided to scrap the existing contractor who operates the plant now, the authorities had failed to choose a new contractor.
This had led to uncertainties over who will operate the plant. On Monday, there had been a rift in the LDF during the corporation council meeting over choosing the new firm. CPI councillor C A Shakkeer insisted that Star Constructions who won the bid to operate the Brahmapuram plant shouldn’t be entrusted with the work. While he argued that a fresh tender should be invited for the purpose, all the councillors other than three more CPI councillors wanted to entrust Star Constructions with the work.
Shakkeer said that the council can pass the agenda for entrusting the work with Star Constructions with a dissent note of CPI councillors. But mayor M Anilkumar said that his wish is to pass the agenda unanimously. He requested the CPI councillors to reconsider their decision. But the CPI councillors staged a walk out from the council hall to protest the decision to rope in a new firm for the purpose.
At the same time, the UDF members in a written statement asked the mayor to award the work to the new contractor. With all the councillors except four CPI members demanding that the work should be awarded to the new contractor, corporation formally decided to entrust the work to the new contractor on Wednesday. Moreover, nobody including CPI councillors gave their dissent in writing within 48 hours after council met on Monday. As per norms, the councillors should record their dissent within 48 hours of the session.
As the corporation already decided to scrap the existing contractor, there had been a stalemate over operating the plant. Though there was a decision that the corporation officials will operate the plant until a new firm assumes the responsibility of running the plant, it was found to be practically difficult as the officials lacked experience in the process.
