Kochi, Chief Minister V D Satheesan on Friday said Keralam would set up model plants for plastic waste disposal and waste-to-energy conversion within two years, creating systems that other states could adopt.
“We should set up two or three model plants in Keralam for plastic waste disposal. We need four or five model plants for converting regular waste into power. Within one or two years, no one should need to travel to Indore or anywhere else to study waste management.
Inaugurating the Local Self-Government Department’s five-year campaign, ‘Nirmalam – A New Era of Clean Keralam’, Satheesan said the state should not have to depend on other states for waste management models, but should instead become a destination for officials and representatives from elsewhere to study its systems. We should have an even better system,” he said. Satheesan said the initiative was not merely a campaign but a comprehensive action plan with specific targets and timelines divided into three phases. Waste management was one of the biggest challenges facing the state and had been accorded high priority by the government, he said, adding that although several initiatives had been implemented, much more remained to be done. Satheesan said the government would extend full support to local bodies and provide access to central and state government schemes and funding for waste management. The government would directly handle the matter and allocate the necessary funds to the Local Self-Government Department, he said. “Our vision is to transform Keralam into a place cleaner than any global destination, where no litter is visible anywhere,” he said, congratulating the LSGD minister and officials for preparing the programme within a short period.
