Smoke from Kochi waste plant fire toxic; declare health emergency there: Kerala LoP
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): Leader of Opposition in the Kerala Assembly, V D Satheesan, on Wednesday urged the state government to declare a health emergency in the areas around Brahmapuram waste plant in Kochi, claiming that the toxic smoke from the waste mound fire has created serious health problems for the people living there.
Speaking to reporters here, Satheesan said, "An immediate health emergency should be declared in the area and adequate remedial measures should be taken after testing the level of air pollution there."
Satheesan, a senior Congress leader, alleged that the air quality in the area has come down drastically, forcing people to inhale toxic fumes.
"People are widely dizzy. Smoke is spreading not only in Kochi city but also in nearby districts", Satheesan claimed.
The Congress leader alleged that there was massive corruption in connection with the waste treatment contract in Brahmapuram.
Levelling serious charges against the various departments of the government, Satheesan alleged that the fire is still not extinguished, and the garbage was burnt with petrol.
"The contractors have committed a serious crime. Even if the fire is extinguished, the fire of corruption will not be extinguished", Satheesan alleged.
He claimed that various departments including health, local self-government and disaster management, are inactive at Brahmapuram.
"There have been serious irregularities in connection with the contract. The waste mound was deliberately set on fire and the government is trying to protect the culprits," the LoP alleged.
Meanwhile, BJP state president K Surendran alleged an understanding between the ruling CPI(M) and opposition Congress-led UDF in settling the Brahmapuram waste plant fire case as the contractors of waste management there were the relatives of top leaders of these parties.
He also urged the state government to hand over the investigation into the Brahmapuram fire incident to the central agencies.
Several fire tenders, Indian Navy choppers and personnel as well as firefighting personnel and equipment from oil-PSUs Bharat Petroleum and Hindustan Petroleum, etc were deployed in the last few days to control the blaze and extinguish it.
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No unannounced load shedding in Kerala, outages due to overload, says Minister
Palakkad (PTI): Kerala Electricity Minister K Krishnankutty on Saturday said there was no unannounced load shedding in the state, attributing recent power interruptions to temporary overload caused by high consumption.
Clarifying concerns raised from various parts of the state, the minister said the disruptions are not deliberate but occur when demand peaks, particularly between 10 pm and 11 pm.
"It is not being done intentionally. Power consumption has risen sharply, and when there is excessive and indiscriminate usage, the system experiences overload, leading to natural supply interruptions," he told reporters here.
His remarks come amid complaints that several areas have been witnessing frequent power cuts, often lasting around 15 minutes and occurring multiple times during the night.
Krishnankutty said the state's power demand has crossed 6,195 MW, putting pressure on the supply system. He added that around 70 per cent of Kerala's electricity is procured from outside, and existing power banking arrangements have been exhausted.
"We have approached the Regulatory Commission seeking permission to purchase more power. However, this will come at a higher cost," he said.
The minister said the government is trying to avoid increasing electricity tariffs and urged consumers to exercise restraint in usage to help manage the situation.
Responding to opposition criticism over the ruling LDF's earlier claims of a decade without power cuts, he said the current situation is not unique to Kerala.
A power crisis is emerging across the country, he said, and sarcastically asked the Opposition to take note of the role of natural factors in this.
Krishnankutty expressed confidence that the situation would improve within two days, while cautioning that long-term energy security would depend on enhancing in-state power generation.
He also warned that future generations could face serious challenges if adequate electricity production capacity is not developed within Kerala.
