THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Drawing attention to the serious situation prevailing in the state capital following the accumulation of garbage over the past four months ever since the Vilappilsala waste treatment plant was shut down, Shashi Tharoor MP made a special mention in the zero hour in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday and requested the Central Government to intervene in the matter immediately.Tharoor pointed out that Thiruvananthapuram has been facing a severe solid waste management crisis since December last year owing to the non-functioning of the Vilappilsala plant. Garbage trucks are unable to transport wastes from the city to the plant following severe opposition from the local people. The High Court has ordered the reopening of the plant and even the Supreme Court has rejected the plea of the Vilappilsala panchayat for a stay on the High Court’s order.Waste collection has come to a standstill as there is no space to landfill or even burn the garbage. The residents of Vilappilsala are vehemently opposed to the reopening of the plant. This has led to garbage accumulating in public places and also spilling on to the streets.Tharoor made the specific point that Thiruvananthapuram is facing an epidemic-like situation and the health of the people of the city cannot be taken lightly any longer. The city receives a large number of international visitors who are also being exposed to the unhygienic conditions, Tharoor pointed out. The situation will only worsen once the monsoon sets in, he feared.Vilappilsala itself is at risk if the garbage already dumped in the plant is not treated. It is also of critical importance that the equipment for construction of a leachate treatment unit and sanitary landfill be transported to the Vilappilsala plant. The functioning of the garbage treatment plant is imperative till the plans for decentralisation of waste management in the city takes shape, which is expected to take three to four months, Tharoor said.
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