Tension remained tense on Tuesday at Aviyil Thoddu near Vellayil in Kozhikode city as locals continued to block the beach road, preventing Kozhikode municipal authorities from carrying out any activities at the proposed site for a sewage treatment plant. stopped.
The people of Vellayil and Thoppayil wards, mostly fishermen, left their work for the day to be a part of the protest, vehemently opposing the STP project. He said that none of the campaign measures by the corporation could convince them about the need for construction of STP at Aviyil Thodo.
opinion survey
“The corporation did not bother to convince people or conduct an opinion survey before going ahead with the project and getting a license for it. Even the soil test, for which officials had come on Monday, should have been done before finalizing the project site”, said Congress councilor KC Shobhita, who was leading the protest on both the days.
soil test
Soil testing is being done by a private agency hired by the corporation, whose credibility is being questioned by the local people. He has repeatedly pointed out that the densely populated Avilayil area was unsuitable for the project and expressed apprehensions about its impact on the environment and the surrounding Vellayil port, apart from the possibility of flooding after landfilling for the project.
Meanwhile, Mayor Bina Philippe claimed at a press meet in the evening that the fears were unfounded and explained the scientific premises of the project. She said the corporation had made every effort to convince the local people about the project, but only a few people with vested interests turned against it and ransacked a clarification meeting at Vellayil port on January 7.
water quality
The mayor said that the project envisages collecting all the sewage from the households in the project area, which includes the Vellayil, Thoppayil and Munnalinkal wards of the corporation. This would help in improving the quality of groundwater of the area and make it free from water-borne diseases to which it was regularly prone. The objective of the project was to maintain the health of the people in the coastal area and those consuming marine products by ensuring that the coastal area was clean and hygienic. Providing a pollution-free environment to beach-goers and encouraging water reuse in water scarce areas were also counted as benefits of the project.
The project has been proposed by the National Green Tribunal as part of the Kallai River Renewal Project and the progress of the project will be monitored every month by the Pollution Control Board, he added, adding that the corporation has taken all necessary clearances to complete it. has achieved. Project with approval from PCB and KCZMA.
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