UDF questions Kochi Corporation’s claim of declaring city waste-free in two months

The Opposition United Democratic Front (UDF) has questioned the Kochi Corporation’s claim that the city will be declared waste-free in two months, citing what it alleged was a disproportion between the total number of commercial establishments in the city and the negligible number of those that have signed up for waste disposal through the civic body’s My Kochi app.

Mayor M. Anilkumar, at a council meeting on Thursday (May 29, 2025), had announced the launch of an intense drive to declare Kochi waste-free in two months. The UDF pointed out that, as per the Corporation’s assessment register, there were over one lakh commercial establishments in the city, of which fewer than 25,000 had renewed their licences this year. Even fewer commercial establishments — less than 500 — had signed up for waste disposal through the Corporation’s bulk waste management agency, Rebuild Kerala.

“This exposes the Corporation’s claim of making the city waste-free as hollow, as there is no parity between the waste generated and scientifically disposed of. When so many commercial establishments are not within the Corporation’s official ambit of waste disposal unauthorised dumping in public places is unlikely to end anytime soon making the intense drive to declare the city waste-free meaningless. What is needed is a feasible waste disposal system acceptable to the community of traders,” said M.G. Aristotle, UDF parliamentary party secretary in the Corporation.

Mr. Anilkumar, however, dismissed the accusation as baseless. According to the Opposition, the Corporation spent ₹2.16 crore on waste management in March, while over ₹1 crore is due from commercial establishments classified as bulk waste generators. The Corporation has received only ₹64 lakh through waste collection. The Opposition also accused the Corporation of not even trying to monetise reusable waste, despite spending crores on waste treatment every month.

Published - June 01, 2025 07:19 pm IST