The transportation of refuse from the city streets to the Brahmapuram solid waste treatment plant resumed on Tuesday following a conciliatory meeting held at Thiruvananthapuram.

The meeting was convened by Manjalamkuzhi Ali, Minister for Urban Affairs, with representatives of Kochi Corporation and Vadavukode-Puthencruz panchayat.

Resistance against the processing of waste began with the fire that broke out at the plastic waste dumping yard at Brahmapuram on Friday.

The Vadavukode-Puthencruz panchayat had asked the corporation to stop the functioning of the plant after the fire.

The corporation was forced to suspend the transportation of refuse following the developments.

The corportrion had loaded refuse in 25 lorries on Tuesday morning anticipating that it would get permission for taking the vehicles to the plant site.

Garbage has turned into a baggage that is gnawing at the minds of Thrissur residents.

It has been more than a year since the dumping of the city’s garbage at Lalur stopped. As a result, the accumulated filth has reduced the city to a garbage dump because the corporation seems to have gone bankrupt on ideas to find an alternative.

A walk through the city roads is a disgusting experience, with mounds of garbage piled up in every street corner, leaving slush and stink. Stray dogs and cattle feasting on heaps of garbage is a common sight even in posh localities. Flies and mosquitoes swarm over the garbage.

The sanitation workers have put up billboards at many places stating ‘Those who dump garbage will be penalised’. The police force in the city is also booking those who throw waste on the streets. On Monday alone, the shadow police have booked cases against 12 persons for dumping waste on the roadside.

But the helpless public wants the corporation to let them know where they are to dump the household waste.

The Corporation, however, is clueless. The civic body has opted for the burning of garbage on streets, as an easy solution for waste management.

Sanitation workers with bamboo-brooms and kerosene cans roaming around the city and burning garbage heaps at street corners is a regular scene at nights in the city these days.

How can the authorities take punitive measures against people for dumping waste on the street without providing any alternative arrangements, residents ask.

Meanwhile, C.S. Sreenivasan, Standing Committee Chairman (Health) of the City Corporation said the corporation has already started collecting plastic waste from flats in the city.

“Organic waste from more than 80 fruit and vegetable shops are collected by sanitation workers and Kudumbasree members. The vegetable waste from the Sakthan market is also being cleared every day. So far, pipe compost units have been installed at 7,000 houses and biogas plants at 450 flats.

“Work on the biogas plants at Panamkuttichira, Lalur, Vilvattam and Ollur are progressing. The corporation will be able to find a lasting solution for the garbage issue soon,” he said.