Ernakulam district collector ordered that 8.5 cents of poramboke land be handed over to Thrikkakara municipality to set up a waste treatment plant within the local body's jurisdiction. The recent allocation of land is in addition to the 50 cents allotted to the local body from revenue department's poramboke land last month. "For waste management, up to 25 cents identified within corporation limits, up to 50 cents in municipality limits, and up to two acres within panchayat limits can be transferred for establishing waste processing plants," states the order. According to the order, govt-owned land will remain under the ownership of the revenue department and will be transferred to the local self-govt department for these specific purposes, subject to govt approval. In a meeting of the local body representatives and Suchitwa Mission officials last week to discuss the construction of a waste treatment facility, they decided to prepare a detailed project report (DPR) for implementing a waste management system. It will be capable of handling 25 tonnes of waste, with Suchitwa Mission funding 80% of the project cost. Unni Kakkanad, the municipality's standing committee chairman for health, stated that the local body plans to construct a waste treatment centre based on the ‘Wadakkancherry model', and the total cost of the building is estimated to exceed Rs 2 crore.
