Roadside rest centres part of waste-free Nava Kerala: Minister M.B. Rajesh

Local Self-Governments Minister M.B. Rajesh inaugurated “Just Relax,” a roadside rest centre constructed by Athirappilly grama panchayat with the support of the Forest department at Puliyilappara on the Athirappilly–Malakkappara route on Thursday.

The Minister said creating facilities for travellers to meet their basic needs was a long-standing issue in the State and that the government had begun setting up rest centres as part of building a waste-free Nava Kerala. “Keeping such centres clean is a big challenge since over 10,000 people travel through the Athirappilly–Vazhachal route every day. Everyone must cooperate, because it is all of us who generate the waste,” he said.

Pointing out that waste management in the State had seen major changes, the Minister said the Haritha Karma Sena had collected 1.52 lakh tonnes of waste in the past year. Measures were in place at Haritha check posts to prevent tourists from bringing in plastic.

New initiative

To stop the littering of plastic bottles, the government would soon roll out a new initiative—trial runs in Thiruvananthapuram and Kannur from September 10, followed by Statewide implementation from January 1. “An additional ₹20 will be charged on liquor bottles. A refund will be given when the bottle, marked with a sticker and QR code, is returned,” he explained.

More than 1,500 Take a Break centres were already functioning across Kerala, and a dedicated mobile app would soon provide travellers with information on these facilities, the Minister said. MLA Saneesh Kumar Joseph presided over the function.

The first phase of the project began in 2021-22 with ₹57 lakh from the CFC (Common Facility Centre) grant used to construct a 2,500-sq ft basement floor, ground floor and stair cabin. In 2023-24, an additional ₹62 lakh was spent to complete the building and add another floor.

The basement has three toilets, a urinal area, a rest room and a verandah. The ground floor has three toilets, a disabled-friendly toilet, a cafeteria and a verandah. The first floor has two rooms, while the terrace has facilities for meetings. In total, the project covers 5,000 sq ft.