THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: To check the plastic waste menace in the city, the Industries Department has proposed to provide sufficient land at Pappanamcode Industrial Estate for establishing a plastic-shredding unit. When Mayor K Chandrika and other officials visited the spot the other day, they had faced resistance from the local people. The proposed site belongs to the Automobile Engineering Company, which has not been functioning for quite sometime. Sources in the Industries Department said that it was suggested that the land may be provided by the Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation (KSIDC) to the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation. The Corporation, in turn, can set up its unit for plastic-shredding. The plastic can be sold after processing. It is pointed out that the plastic-shredding unit will not create any environmental problems. The local people have been misled about the unit as these types of units are presently functioning at Kochi in the heart of the city, where the plastic is collected and processed and sold for various purposes. The Corporation officials had visited the site the other day and started the cleaning operations. This was resisted by the local people of the Estate ward in Pappanamcode. On the lines of the agitation at Vilappilsala, posters have appeared in the area in protest against the move to set up a shredding unit. ‘Poster wars’ against and also in favour of the unit have started in the area and even a protest rally was held on Wednesday. Councillor O Beena said that any move to bring in waste from other parts of the city to this ward would be opposed at all costs. ‘’Steps have been taken in the ward to ensure that no waste goes out from here and the move to bring waste to this area would aggravate the situation,’’ she said. ‘’The Mayor misled the local people by saying that the councillor was informed about the proposal to start a shredding unit. In fact, this was not discussed with anyone and it was a unilateral decision, which will be opposed by the people,’’ she said. The Mayor should find a solution to ensure that the waste is treated on the premises of each and every house in the city. The public in the ward will not allow any vehicles carrying waste to ply through the area, Beena said.
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