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Kerala govt under attack over sewage plant, opposition UDF walks out of Assembly

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Thiruvananthapuram, Jul 5 (PTI) The opposition Congress-led UDF on Tuesday attacked the Kerala government in the state assembly over its plan to set up a sewage treatment plant at Avikkal Thodu, a populated coastal area in Kozhikode district, ignoring stiff opposition being raised by local residents and also over the police assault against the protesters.

The main opposition party said though they extend complete support to the solid waste treatment programmes of the government, it could not accept the proposed plant planned near a canal where thousands of people are inhabited.

Raising the issue during the Zero Hour, the UDF asked the government whether such a plant was “practical” to be implemented in a populated area ignoring the ongoing protests.

The proposed plant would not only affect the lives of people living in the coastal area but would also pose a huge threat to the environment, they said and accused the authorities of branding the people protesting against the plant as “terrorists”.

Before staging a protest walkout from the House, the UDF also accused the police of “brutal assault” against the protesters and criticised them for registering cases against them, slapping serious charges.

Giving a reply to a notice for an adjournment motion by the opposition, M V Govindan, Minister for Local Self-Government, rejected the opposition’s arguments and said centralised plants are essential for the treatment of solid waste.

He said similar waste treatment plant models have successfully been implemented in several other places also and local people there raised no objection against it.

Some outfits, having “terrorist nature”, were behind misleading the people of Avikkal Thodu against the project, he alleged.

Pointing out that the Rs 60 crore-worth project, being implemented by the Kozhikode Corporation under the Centre’s AMRUT scheme, should be completed before March 31, 2023, he said otherwise the amount would lapse.

Rejecting the UDF’s claim that it would pose a serious threat to the environment, the minister said it was planned to be implemented using the most advanced technology without any risk of pollution.

He said the preliminary works began after obtaining necessary permission from all agencies concerned, including the Pollution Control Board and the Coastal Management Authority.

Govindan also said the plant would be set up after resolving the concerns of the people.

IUML legislator M K Muneer, who sought notice for the motion, asked why the government was adamant to implement the waste treatment plant in a place like Avikkal Thodu.

Stating that the plant could not be set up suppressing the local people, he asked on what ground the protesters were called as terrorists by the ruling party and the police.

Sharing the same views, Leader of opposition in the state Assembly V D Satheesan said it was not right to brand those protesting against the plant as “terrorists” and “urban naxals”.

He also said the opposition was staging a walkout protesting over the government’s negative approach towards the issues of the poor and marginalised in the society.

The residents of the coastal area of Avikkal Thodu in Vellayil, two kilometres away from the Corporation office, have been on a warpath since the authorities identified the area for constructing the plant there a year ago.

The residents, mostly fishermen, had prevented the contractor of the project from starting the work at the proposed site on Monday morning.

The agitators, under their Anti-Sewage Treatment Plant Committee, also staged a sit-in dharna in front of the Nadakkavu police station on the same day. PTI LGK LGK HDA HDA

This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.

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