THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Even after deciding to implement the ring-compost method in households on a large- scale weeks back, the City Corporation is yet to take a step forward in that direction. The differences that have cropped up over the project between the Corporation and Suchitwa Mission have been cited as the reason for the delay. While the Corporation officials say the Suchitwa Mission has been making undue delay in sanctioning the project, the Mission is of the opinion that it has updated the State Government on the need to call an open tender to take up the project and that there have been no delay from its side. According to Health Standing committee chairperson S Pushpalatha, the Corporation had entrusted Costford with the task of promotion and distribution of the PVC pipe model for compost. The Costford has submitted a proposal which uses PVC pipes with 1.2 m height and 315 mm diameter. However, the Suchitwa Mission had been raising doubts regarding the technical viability of the pipes and expressing concern regarding the market availability of such pipes, she said. ‘’To begin with, we have the list of nine wards which have come forward willing to implement the project. But since the sanction from the Suchitwa Mission is getting delayed, we have not been able to move forward,’’ she said. According to the Suchitwa Mission officials, they had initially sanctioned a figure which the Corporation then altered. ‘’Besides, the Corporation has been saying that the project should be handed over to an accredited agency. One PVC pipe has been rated at the cost of ` 35. Which means, when implemented in more than 1 lakh homes, the total expenditure would cross ` 35 lakh. To avoid any charges of corruption later, we proposed open tenders. And the government order endorsing it should be out by now,’’ said a top official with Suchitwa Mission. According to the official, when the market availability was tested, it was found to be scarce. It is not just the sanctioning of the project that falls under the Mission’s purview, but removal of future hurdles too, the official said. According to Costford officials, the vital stats of the PVC pipes for the compost method are more than enough for a nuclear family to dispose of garbage for a month. The households with more garbage could always opt for the bio-waste plants. The need of the hour is to start the project without delay, said Sajan of Costford.
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