T’puram: The dispute between city corporation and Clean Kerala Company Ltd (CKCL) over garbage accumulation along NH 66 service road at Panathura has been resolved, with authorities confirming that the waste has now been cleared.Heaps of plastic and non-biodegradable waste piled up along the busy service road near Panathura, triggering protests from locals who raised concerns over foul smell and health hazards. The issue soon escalated into a blame game between the civic body and the state-run agency responsible for handling such waste. While corporation directed CKCL to remove the garbage immediately, the company initially maintained that the responsibility lay with a subcontractor engaged for waste collection in the area. However, corporation rejected this explanation, asserting that the primary agency entrusted with the work cannot evade accountability by citing subcontracting arrangements. Following intervention by corporation secretary and senior officials, the issue was sorted out, and urgent steps were taken to clear the accumulated waste. The Clean Kerala Company has since complied with the corporation’s directive and completed the removal process. Corporation health standing committee chairman M R Gopan said the civic body took a firm stand to ensure timely action. A senior official of Clean Kerala Company, on condition of anonymity, said the delay was due to operational issues at the ground level, but assured that corrective measures have been implemented. “We have now streamlined coordination with field teams and will ensure that such lapses do not recur,” the official said. The corporation has also decided to strengthen monitoring mechanisms to prevent similar incidents in the future. As part of this, it will directly oversee the collection of non-biodegradable waste in select wards to improve accountability and efficiency. CKCL, functioning under local self-govt department, plays a key role in the collection and scientific management of non-biodegradable waste across the state, working in coordination with local bodies and Haritha Karma Sena units.
