The Opposition LDF councillors staging a sit-in in front of the Mayor’s chamber accusing the Mayor of denying discussion on restricting subsidies for biomedical waste collection to eligible sections alone.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
A proposal to establish a new plant at Brahmapuram with a capacity to treat 150 tonnes of biodegradable waste was passed through voting amid stiff protest from the Opposition Left Democratic Front (LDF) at the Kochi Corporation Council meeting on Friday (August 14).
The proposal, submitted by G3 Renewables Private Limited, which operates a facility on Willingdon Island, to set up the plant at an investment of ₹25–30 crore, provided the Corporation allots three acres on a 25-year lease, was included in the agenda. The plant proposes to employ proprietary mechanical processing technology recognised by the Suchitwa Mission.
The LDF opposed the agenda, following which it was put to vote and approved by 40 votes to 19, with BJP councillors also supporting the proposal. V.A. Sreejith, LDF parliamentary party leader, alleged that the agenda was being passed without the Mayor or the Corporation secretary having visited the Willingdon plant and without inviting expressions of interest (EoI). “The Council has been made to approve an agenda without knowing the finer points. The Mayor had no answer when asked whether Suchitwa Mission had examined the Willingdon facility. The compressed biogas plant already functional at Brahmapuram has failed to achieve its optimum capacity because of mixed waste being fed by the Corporation. Unless segregation is streamlined, the same problem will recur with the new plant,” he said.
Mayor V.K. Minimol countered that proposals must be vetted by the standing committee concerned, and that there was no precedent for the Mayor or the secretary to personally examine them. In this case, she said, the health standing committee had visited the plant. “We cannot afford to delay the proposed facility as nearly 100 tonnes of waste are now being dumped at Brahmapuram daily for want of adequate treatment capacity, with the CBG plant functioning far below its optimum. The company has agreed to transport waste from six primary collection points of the Corporation to the plant for a mere 20 paise per kilogram. This will substantially reduce lorry rent from the exorbitant ₹4.50 crore,” Ms. Minimol said, adding that an EoI would be invited.
Shortly thereafter, LDF councillors stormed the well of the council hall, accusing the Mayor of denying discussion on restricting subsidies for biomedical waste collection to eligible sections alone. Reasoning that the Opposition had already registered its protest when the matter was discussed in the health committee, Ms. Minimol left the dais, announcing that the Council agenda had been passed. Following this, Opposition councillors shifted their protest to the front of the Mayor’s chamber, even as she exited the Corporation office through another route.
Published – August 15, 2026 01:06 am IST
