Overspending at Brahmapuram could trigger corruption: former Kochi Mayor Anilkumar

He was addressing a press conference here on Friday (January 16, 2026) to counter the criticisms directed at the previous Left Democratic Front (LDF)-led council by Mayor V.K. Minimol, following her visit to Brahmapuram earlier this week.

Mr. Anilkumar said that people are aware of the transformation at Brahmapuram, which had been marked by waste mountains when he assumed charge as Mayor in 2020. “Whatever more needs to be done should be done, but taxpayers’ money should not be wasted needlessly,” he said, referring to the Mayor’s statement that Brahmapuram requires new projects to improve its condition.

He questioned the Mayor’s claim that 2.5 lakh tonnes of waste remain to be bio-mined, arguing that waste buried through scientific land-filling during the tenures of former mayors Mercy Williams and Tony Chammany need not be subjected to biomining again. In fact, he pointed out that it was the UDF, while in opposition, that had demanded this, following which he had directed that scientifically landfilled waste be excluded from the initial estimate of over 10 lakh tonnes of legacy waste to be bio-mined. Instead, only the waste stacked in the now-defunct windrow plant shed should be bio-mined, he said.

He also contested the Mayor’s remarks questioning the efficiency of Black Soldier Fly (BSF)-based plants at Brahmapuram and the rates charged for waste treatment. He said only one of the two plants, each with a capacity of 50 tonnes, requires fine-tuning. ‘Disrupting the existing functional system at Brahmapuram by overestimating the waste generated within Corporation limits will only lead to widespread corruption through inflated investments in treatment facilities and unnecessary hiring of lorries for waste transportation. The combined capacity of 150 tonnes, including that of the upcoming compressed biogas plant along with the two BSF plants, would at best leave out about 30–50 tonnes. Considering that 180–200 tonnes are generated daily in the city, a windrow plant would be sufficient to handle the remainder,’ Mr. Anilkumar said.

He further explained that effective biomining, carried out to a depth of around two metres to excavate buried waste, has caused the land to subside. Combined with the site’s proximity to the Kadambrayar, this has made it prone to waterlogging during high tide. This, he said, was why the site where Local Self-Governments Minister M.B. Rajesh had played cricket last year was sodden, countering the Mayor’s allegation. An embankment along the Kadambrayar is the only solution, he added.

Mr. Anilkumar added that while there was nothing wrong with the UDF announcing Indira Canteen to provide budget meals, it should not come at the expense of Samridhi@Kochi outlets. He accused the UDF of frequently renaming projects after members of the Nehru family, only to revert once those initiatives failed. He cited how the People’s Plan Campaign was reinstated after being renamed decentralised planning, and how Janashree, introduced to counter Kudumbashree, eventually collapsed.