A waste dump near Technopark

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: For the past many years, the residents along the Kariavattom-Kazhakkoottam stretch have not been experiencing a pleasant sight and smell. The two sides of this stretch are being used as convenient trash dumps for over three years. Household wastes, remains of food from hotels and nearby meat shops and used and broken bottles are being dumped here with impunity.‘’People carry wastes in plastic covers from their houses in autos and cars and dump it here at night. Most of the people who throw the wastes here are techies who reside in the city,’’ says Sreekumar R, a resident of Kailas Nagar, Kazhakkoottam. The residents’ association had complained to the police as well as to the ward councillor. ‘’In every residents’ association meeting, we raise the issue before the authorities, but they do not take the necessary steps to solve this problem. Two years ago, the CPRF men had cleaned the place removing all the wastes there. But people started dumping more wastes on the roadsides since then,’’ Kazhakkoottam Kailas Nagar Residents’ Association president K Mohana Kumar says.  The residents say that due to the recent rains, the stench emanating from the garbage has also increased.  ‘’We cannot walk through this area without covering our nose as the stench is nauseating. An effective dumping system has to be soon developed by the Corporation,’’ says Asha Mariet, a software engineer at SunTec, a Technopark firm. People throw wastes even around a board set up by the Joint Registrar of University of Kerala and Kazhakkoottam Residents’ Association which reads ‘Do not throw wastes here’. ‘’The University has appointed a security man to note down the vehicle number of the people who throw wastes and we complain to the City Corporation. But the Corporation is only charging a meagre fine of Rs  50 from them. If the amount is raised to above Rs 1,000, the practice can be controlled to an extent,” says Joint Registrar S Harilal. The animal and poultry waste dumped by slaughter shops attract dogs and their numbers have risen. The mosquito menace too has increased,’’ says Valsala Ramachandran, a resident near University campus, Kariavattom. Kazhakkoottam area councillor R Sreerekha says that the waste-filled areas at Kariavattom to Kazhakkoottam were covered with soil three times this year. But within a week, the areas were covered with heaps of garbage. The Corporation is ready to solve this problem after settling the Vilappilsala waste treatment plant issue. ‘’It is also the public’s responsibility to keep the place clean. They do not hesitate to throw garbage even when they see that the roads are already dirty,’’ she says.