T’puram: LDF-led opposition sharpened its attack on BJP-led city corporation, accusing the civic administration of failing to address city’s worsening waste management challenges and using the recent ‘waste mafia’ controversy as a political diversion to deflect growing public criticism over sanitation and waste disposal.LDF parliamentary party leader in corporation, S P Deepak, on Tuesday alleged that the mayor and the ruling council were attempting to conceal their ‘complete failure’ in waste management by blaming organised waste mafias instead of taking responsibility for improving the city’s sanitation system.The criticism comes in the wake of the alleged assault on corporation sanitation workers who tried to stop a group from dumping sacks of hotel waste into Amayizhanjan canal early on Monday. Deepak said the incident was not an isolated one and claimed similar illegal dumping activities took place on several occasions.He alleged that several members of BJP-led council had, while in the opposition, resisted the decentralised waste management initiatives introduced by LDF administration and even encouraged the transportation of unsegregated waste to neighbouring Tamil Nadu.According to Deepak, Thiruvananthapuram corporation earned national recognition during LDF administration for its decentralised waste management model after the closure of Vilappilsala waste treatment plant. He said corporation successfully introduced material recovery facilities (MRFs), Thumboormuzhi composting bins, household biocompost units, waste collection hubs and periodic mega clean-up drives to manage nearly 400 tonnes of waste generated daily.He criticised the present administration for continuing to advocate a centralised waste treatment model while failing to strengthen day-to-day sanitation measures. He also alleged that the mayor did not permit a detailed discussion on the city’s waste management issues in corporation council despite mounting public concern.Questioning the mayor’s claim about the existence of waste mafias, Deepak asked why such groups allegedly surfaced only under the present administration. He accused them of attempting to shift responsibility for its administrative shortcomings instead of taking corrective action against illegal waste dumping.Deepak further alleged that, during the previous corporation council’s tenure, a BJP leader independently arranged the transportation of waste to Tamil Nadu after collecting money from households, and said those associated with such activities could not now claim to be fighting a ‘waste mafia’.Corporation has not yet responded to the allegations.
