Kozhikode: Fishers wallow in stink, urge succour

KOZHIKODE: Fisherfolk living on the coastal line in Kozhikode, complain that their repeated attempts to stop garbage being thrown were not successful, as tourists and city dwellers dump waste in their limited premises, close to the sea. Their premises have already been contaminated with the waste from the fish landing area and adding to that is the menace of outsiders throwing garbage. Since most of them are living in one-and-a-half or two cents of land, they are not in a position to manage the waste in their premises.

“We have been complaining for long and even patrolled the area, after cleaning. However, nothing has changed and even  people from outside are dumping in sacks, along the coastline as well as on the sides of the coastal road. Nobody is 
interested in clearing the waste from here. The area is stinking and diseases are spreading,” said Suharabi, unit secretary of Kudumbasree here. However, Vellayil councillor Soufiya Aneesh said that the area was cleaned and loads of garbage was removed with the support of Uralungal Labour Contract Society.

She  added that Kudumbasree and the Corporation  were backing out of waste collection and therefore, waste management at the source would be the only solution. “We suggested mini waste management units for kitchens, which would be given at a subsidised rate of '300, but there were no takers for it. The Corporation has sanctioned a waste management unit in Vellayil, but I fear the project could invite the wrath of the residents,” she added.