Garbage issue: BJP hartal evokes partial response in T’puram

Monday, December 26, 2011: The dawn-to-dusk hartal called by BJP in the state capital against the crisis in garbage movement evoked partial response.
The protest was organised against the ‘failure’ of the city corporation and the state government to resolve the crisis concerning garbage movement, which has resulted in houselhold waste piling up in the city in the last five days.
While shops and restaurants remained closed,the hartal did not seriously hamper bus and other public transport services. BJP workers took out a march accusing the government and the corporation of sitting idle while the entire city was “stinking.”
Emergency services like healthcare, milk supply and wedding parties had been exempted from the shut-down protest. Garbage collection and disposal has come to a halt in the city following the stand-off between the city corporation and Vilapplil village panchyat on the outskirts, where the waste processing plant is located.
People in village wanted the plant to be re-located,saying its presence caused serious health problems in the area. The village civic authorities had last week locked up the gates of the plant to stop the waste from being dumped there. Though Chief Minister Oommen Chandy held talks with the panchayat and corporation authorities last week, no solution could be found to the issue.