Title - After Kochuveli, it’s Murukkumpuzha

With the transportation of garbage to Kochuveli coming to a stop, the next destination is getting ready for the experiment. The preliminary work ahead of transporting garbage to Murukkumpuzha began on Friday with the development of the approach road to the railway platform. Though garbage had been collected by the Corporation from the roadsides and open places, it was not transported to Murukkumpuzha. ‘’The approach road is too narrow for trucks to pass. Only after the work on the road is completed will the garbage be taken there,’’ said Corporation Health Officer Dr Sreekumar.In a couple of days, the garbage trucks would carry waste from the city to the panchayat.When contacted, Mangalapuram panchayat president Kavitha S said that the panchayat was watching the developments. ‘’The railway officials have promised that the filling of garbage for the construction of the platform would be done scientifically. But if any problem crops up and if locals protest, we will stand by the people,’’ she said.The government had not held any discussions with the LDF-led Mangalapuram panchayat over the issue. It was the railway officials who had taken the initiative, but that has not prompted any ill-will towards the project. Sources said that it was on the plea of an ‘ashram’ in the Pothencode block to allow stops for all trains at Murukkumpuzha that the government worked out such a move.

Meanwhile, sources said that the mess at Kochuveli platform site has been solved to some extent with the concreting of the upper portion of the platform. ‘’It was when the waste was deposited in the open that the place was a mini dumping yard. But had it been done more scientifically, more places could have been identified and elected representatives would have come forward. However, the wrong start placed the idea itself under scanner,’’ an official said.