Brahmapuram plant pins hopes on National Green Tribunal verdict

Kochi: The future of the Brahmapuram solid waste treatment plant will be decided by the National Green Tribunal south bench on the basis of the findings to be submitted by the Advocates’ Commission on October 5. The City Corporation is hopeful that the Tribunal  will decide favourably because the single member advocates’ Commission has shared a positive impression of plant after the inspection conducted on September 20. If the NGT issues a closure order, waste management in the entire greater Kochi area will be hit.

“The advocates’ Commission could identify that the plant was not defunct and that the processing of organic waste was proper. Hence, we hope that the Tribunal will not give a closure order. We are ready to carry out rectifications which will be submitted in the next hearing,” said Adv. V.K Minimol, health committee chairperson. Meanwhile, the civic administration had to face the wrath of the opposition and local residents over the hasty land filling of huge heaps of plastic waste at the yard.

The local body had hurriedly done the land filling ahead of the visit of the advocates’ Commission to project a better image of the functioning of the plant. Responding to the criticism on land filling, the Mayor earlier said that the local body could not allow the closure of the facility as it would upset the waste management in the city and outskirts.

However, even if the Tribunal allows the functioning of the plant, the Corporation will have to comply with several other norms such as getting environmental clearance from the State Pollution Control Board. The PCB had issued a temporary permit for the dumping yard only for the period from 2008 to 2011. From 2011 onwards, the plant has been functioning illegally.