The 70-acre-long solid waste plant in Brahmapuram near Kochi caught fire just a few days back. The city is now smoldered in smoke while the district collector has declared a holiday for educational institutions for two days. Meanwhile, many people experience difficulties in breathing and the case is aggravated for people already prone to such ailments. On another note, accusations were handy about the contractor's dubious role in the fire. The contract renewal date was nearing and the fire was no accident, earlier commented congress leader V D Satheesan. He accused the contractors of running in cohorts with the CPM who are responsible for the corruption that is unnoticed and goes unhindered behind the veil of the solid waste plant. Even the preliminary findings point to the incident as not an accident.

While the corruption and the unholy nexus occupy a fair share of news headlines, the real one to be asked is the government's inept means of not making the whole solid plant waste system adopt a new-age technological face. The Kochi corporation took 104 acres of land from the government to start the Brahmapuram plant. It is enough and more to have the whole of the waste from Kochi be dumped and decomposed. However, this was not the case as ineptness and lassitude seeped into all corners of work. Wastes of years are dumped here without decomposing. The contractors failed in the proper conduct of work but gets rewarded with renewal in the contract for their obeisance to political masters. Plastics mounted for years in the plant were burned and the toxic smoke emanated took the whole city to mask up and a collector to call a day off for educational institutions. Every year, the state budget dedicates a big sum to the Bramhapuram plant but discerning from the latest tragedy, it was just a finagle to mint money but not do any real work.

Daily, 75 tonnes of waste reaches Brahmapuram while the plant holds only a capacity to compose just 10 tonnes of waste daily. The rest of the waste is piled up with no notice by the workers. If the case goes unnoticed, the residents of the areas and the city will soon need to acclimatize to a world that reeks of the drain. The authorities are tainted and corrupt but can still help the condition not take a deep plunge to further drain.