Incident took place on railway land, severe action will be taken if railways do not cooperate in garbage removal: Minister MB Rajesh

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Minister MB Rajesh said that there will be a change in the garbage problem in Thiruvananthapuram city within six months. The minister also alleged that opposition leader VD Satheesan tried to take political advantage of the incident of the death of cleaning worker Joy who was swept away while cleaning the Amayizhanchan canal. "The rescue operation conducted to find Joey was great. I appreciate the rescue workers," the minister also said.

"The accident took place on the railway land. The government and the municipality cannot do anything. The top officials of the railway did not attend the meeting on waste management," Rajesh criticized. The minister also warned that severe action will be taken if the railways do not cooperate in garbage removal. "Both DRMs were not ready to participate in the meeting related to garbage removal. 20 action plans were recorded in the minutes of the meeting regarding garbage removal. Out of the 22 things mentioned in the minutes, 20 should be done by the railways," said the minister.

"Railway tracks are full of plastic waste. The High Court has included the Railways in the group of the biggest producers of plastic waste. The High Court has directed on July 6 that the Railways should take action to prevent such dumping of plastic waste on the railway tracks and railway land. The Thiruvananthapuram Corporation had issued a notice to the Railways regarding garbage disposal, but no action was taken," the minister alleged.