THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The move of the State Government and the City Corporation to dump waste in a quarry on the government-owned land at Vellar has led to widespread resentment among the local people. A public meeting held at Vellar on Sunday evening decided to resist the move at any cost. It is learnt that officials of Costford, which has been assigned to clear the quarry, will reach Vellar on Monday morning. The local people, under the banner of the Kovalam Samudra Vattapara Samrakshana Samithi, has announced that they will prevent the Costford officials from enetering the site. ‘’We will resist the move at any cost. The quarry is the only source of water for the residents of the nearby colonies,’’ said Nedumam V Mohanan, local councillor and chairman of the Samithi. The Costford officials have been asked to clear the pits by pumping out the water and closing the porous surface to prevent water entering the pits. Deputy Mayor G Happykumar said the Corporation knew that the move would invite protest. ‘’We apprised the Minister that the move would spark off protest in the area. Moreover, waste-filling in quarries is an unscientific method. But the government insisted us to consider the option as it was reluctant to help us in reopening the Vilappilsala plant,’’ he said. Meanwhile, the government move has disappointed the tourism industry in Kovalam also. The state Tourism Department is going on with a tourist village project in the area.
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