Garbage: CM to chair meet Wednesday

THIRUVANNATHAPURAM:  Tuesday brought no solution to the deadlock over the Vilappilsala issue. The meeting of the monitoring committee for Vilappilsala which was chaired by Urban Affairs Minister P K Kunhalikutty did not take off with the Vilappil panchayat officials objecting to a meeting in the absence of  other members of the monitoring committee. The meeting has now been scheduled for Wednesday morning. When the discussion was about to begin, Vilappil panchayat president Shobana Kumari took a firm stand that all members of the monitoring committee - including Deputy Speaker N Sakthan, district-block leaders of Vilappil and MLAs - should be present. ‘’There cannot be a meeting or discussion without the full quorum. Also, we have nothing else to say, but reaffirm our stand that the Vilappilsala waste treatment plant will be shut down,’’ said Shobhana Kumari. Later, speaking to City Express, she said that her outburst at the meeting was solely owing to the detachment of political leaders over the issue over the past 11 years.Sources said that the Urban Affairs Minister took a sensible stand, making it clear that locking up the plant was not the way out. But if a little more time is given to the Corporation, it could bring a gradual stop to its operations, while the government zeroes in on other options.However, with the panchayat officials blocking any kind of settlement, the Minister opted for a full-fledged meeting on Wednesday.  According to officials, the meeting would be chaired by Chief Minister Oommen Chandy himself soon after the Cabinet meeting.Mayor K Chandrika told City Express that her Council had done in three months what others could not do in 11 years. ‘’This was agreed by the Minister and even the panchayat officials, though the panchayat is not heeding to the  demand for more time,’’ she said. Meanwhile, the blocking of garbage trucks at Vilappilsala would start from 8 pm on Wednesday. The Samithi leaders said that though they had received communication from the Minister’s office regarding the meeting, they did not turn up as they had earlier resigned from the monitoring committee itself.