Youth Congress activists protest in mosquito nets'

Palakkad: Youth Congress activists here on Monday took out a protest march to the municipal office by covering themselves in mosquito nets. They said that both the health department and the civic body had failed utterly in containing the mosquito menace and two persons died on Sunday due to dengue though the state government claimed that the fever cases were on the decline.

“Citing an amendment in the Panchayat Raj Rules over disposal of waste, Palakkad Municipality has decided not to collect organic waste in its limit from September 1. We have got information from corporation secretary Regu Raman that as per the amendment, it is not mandatory for the civic body to dispose of organic waste and it needs to be recycled or disposed of at its source itself,” Boban Mattumantha, YC Palakkad segment president, said.

They say the civic body decided to stop the collection of organic waste not making any alternative arrangements like recycling units at homes. Its health wing had suggested pipe and ring compost units at houses and apartments, but the YC leaders reject it as unviable to distribute or make available such units in each household in less than two months. They also urged the civic body to make it mandatory for all apartments to set up organic waste composting units for renewing and issuing licences.