Dedication of the project Wednesday

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The City Corporation will dedicate its new project to decentralise the solid waste management mechanism, making a paradigm shift from its centralised project at Vilappilsala, to the public on Wednesday. The project will have a new logo and a caption, which would be unveiled by Chief Minister Oommen Chandy at the ‘Janakeeya sangamam’ planned by the Corporation at Gandhi Park. The decentralised waste management project is set to be launched in the city on November 15. Though only a few days are left, the Corporation is aware that a successful implementation is possible only if it wins the hearts of the people. The local body had organised a mass convention the other day, but it seems it would take an intensive campaign to take the message to the people. The gathering of cultural and political leaders on Wednesday is an effort to take forward the campaign. The gathering will have Sugathakumari, Kavalam Narayana Panicker, D Babu Paul, Palayam Imam Jamaludeen Mankada, Shaji N Karun, Beena Paul, Adoor Gopalakrishnan, R V G Menon and others lending support to the new sanitation project. Opposition Leader V S Achuthanandan, MLAs, Standing Committee Chairpersons and councillors would attend.  Though the Corporation has been chanting about the decentralised project for almost a month now, many councillors are yet to absorb the gravity of the situation. When it comes to identifying a plot to set up the biowaste plants or other decentralised mechanisms in their respective wards, many councillors are seen soft-pedalling. The protests in Manacaud ward, where the Corporation was planning to set up a plastic shredder to crush plastic waste, is the latest incident that has shocked the Mayor and team, who consider the outburst as illogical. ‘’It is up to the ward councillors to convince the people about the need for a decentralised system. Don’t they see we have no other option before us? We would intensify the campaign to tell them that the city needs this project and the sooner we shift to alternative methods to dispose garbage, the better,’’ said Mayor K Chandrika.  At the event, a couple of decentralised systems like the biowaste plant, ring-compost and vermicompost plants would be demonstrated.