The Hindu 10.07.2013
Waste not wasted — get on this sustainable platform
Garbage is not waste. To find out, stand on railway platforms at Kochuveli and Murukkumpuzha. Now the Kadakkavoor station is getting such a platform, filled with garbage, around 1,000 tonnes of it.
Garbage from the city will go into the 540-metre-long, 0.84-metre-high and 6.5-metre-wide structure.
The City Corporation, which will execute the plan with funds from the Suchitwa Mission, will invite tenders in three weeks, V.S. Padmakumar, Chairman of the Standing Committee on Works, says.
V. Sasi, MLA, said Railways would supervise the work, and the Suchitwa Mission would meet the project cost.
The platform will have a polythene sheet at the base to prevent leachate from leaking out.
For the multi-layer filling, compacted garbage will be deposited over a layer of soil and clay, evenly spread to make a 35-cm-thick coating.
The garbage and soil layer will be capped and paved with interlocking tiles.
The platform, expected to be ready in six months, thus will help the Corporation remove a portion of the waste accumulated on roads because of the closure of the Vilappilsala plant.
On Sunday, at the instance of the Corporation, a meeting was held at Kadakkavoor to give the project a final push. Mr. Sasi chaired the meeting. Officials from Railways and the Suchitwa Mission and representatives of the block panchayat participated.
When reminded of the opposition from local people to the projects at Kochuveli and Murukkumpuzha, he said the plan was finalised after consultation with residents, traders and panchayat representatives.
The Corporation had agreed to construct the platform scientifically, adhering to safeguards.
