Strict action against those using banned plastic carry bags, products: Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan

Thiruvananthapuram: In the wake of a sanitation worker drowning in a canal full of plastic waste, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday said stringent action would be taken against those using banned plastic carry bags and products.

The decision was taken in an online meeting chaired by Vijayan, a statement issued by the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) said.

The meeting was attended by ministers of the Local Self Government, Public Works, Labour, Food, Sports and Railways, Health and Water Resources, concerned MLAs, Thiruvananthapuram Mayor, Chief Secretary and the Railway Divisional Manager, the statement said.

It was decided to carry out activities in accordance with the provisions of the Disaster Management Act, for the smooth collection of garbage in the city.

In the meeting, several measures were suggested for discouraging use and dumping of plastic products.

The measures included cancellation of registration of vehicles used for dumping waste in public roads and water bodies, installing 40 artificial intelligence cameras -- linked to the police control room -- to identify litterers and planning public programs for the supervision, maintenance and protection of water bodies, the statement said.

Directions were also issued to the Railways to ensure scientific waste management every day.

The Railways was also asked to clean the 130 metre-long tunnel portion of the Amayizhanchan canal that runs underneath the Thampanoor railway station here.

Besides that, the Irrigation department was directed to repair the fencing on both sides of the Amayizhanchan canal in which the sanitation worker had drowned, the statement said, adding that work on installing 2,000 meters of new fencing will commence soon.

Additionally, the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC), was asked to set up an effluent treatment plant and an Integrated Waste Management System to avoid discharge of waste water and other solid waste into the canal from the service station at Thampanoor Bus Depot, it said.

It also said that in the meeting it was decided to put in place strict measures to prevent sewage from the houses near the canal from flowing into it.

Strict action will also be taken against discharge of waste water into the canal from commercial or business establishments at KSRTC depot, Thakaraparambu, Patur, Vanchiyoor, Janashakti Nagar and Kannammula also of which are close to the Amayizhanchan canal.

In the meeting, the CM appreciated all those, including the scuba team, who bravely participated in the efforts to rescue the sanitation worker.

The body of Joy, who had gone missing while cleaning the waste-filled Amayizhanchan canal on July 13, was found on Monday.

The decomposed body was found in the canal on the Pazhavangadi-Thakaraparambu-Vanchiyoor road by corporation sanitation workers during a massive search and rescue operation launched by multiple agencies.

Joy was a temporary cleaning worker employed by a railway contractor.

He and two other workers were engaged in cleaning the Thampanoor part of the canal near the railway station when the water flow increased due to heavy rainfall, sweeping him into a tunnel below the tracks of the platform at the central railway station.