BJP councillor R. Sreelekha calls for relocating dry waste collection facility in front of her office in Kerala capital

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) councillor R. Sreelekha has demanded the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation’s health wing to shift a dry waste collection hub in front of her current office building at Sasthamangalam in the Kerala capital. The dry waste collection facility, with bins for segregated collection of glass, plastic, cloth, tin, paper waste and old footwear ad bags, has been popular with the people in the locality ever since it was opened over eight years ago.

Incidentally, the councillor’s office is located in a part of the health circle office of the Corporation, which has the responsibility of managing waste in the region. Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] MLA V.K. Prasanth, who has been occupying the office building, had recently shifted to a new office at Maruthankuzhy in an apparent effort to put an end to a controversy which erupted after Ms. Sreelekha raised a demand for the office.

When The Hindu contacted Ms. Sreelekha, she confirmed that she had raised the demand to shift the dry waste collection facility to “prevent pedestrians from facing problems”.

“I had asked the health inspector to shift it to the larger waste collection hub at Maruthankuzhy. Since the larger bins are located by the footpath, pedestrians have been facing problems. People from not just Vattiyurkavu, but as far as Nedumangad have been dumping waste in these bins. If we shift this to Maruthunkuzhy, this habit of people dumping (waste) here will stop,” she said.

Residents express disappointment

Residents from in and around Vellayambalam have expressed disappointment with the councillor’s move.

“Food and plastic waste are not a problem. Plastic is collected from houses by agencies every week. But for other kinds of waste, including metal, glass, worn-out shoes and old clothes, the bins at Vellayambalam have been a big relief. They are properly segregated and well-maintained. We have been relying on these for years, since they were launched. If they are removed, it will be a challenge for the commoner to take care of their waste responsibly. The collection centres are far away and only take in certain types (of waste) on certain days. I hope the new Corporation officials will consider the concerns of the average city-dweller and keep the bins which have worked very effectively so far,” says S. Julie, a city resident.

According to health officials, over 200 people on an average daily have been making use of the facility for the past eight years.