Kochi: Police used force to remove Opposition councillors after their protest over the Brahmapuram waste yard fire turned violent.
Members of the Opposition Congress and BJP stopped Mayor M Anilkumar from entering the office. This resulted in heated arguments between CPM workers and the councillors.
They protested in front of the Corporation office ahead of a council meeting that was scheduled at 3 pm to discuss the toxic fumes from the Brahmapuram waste treatment plant. The mayor entered the office amid high police security.
A scuffle broke out between the police and the Opposition councillors when the latter entered the Corporation office bypassing the police cordon. The police resorted lathicharge to remove the protesters. Three councilors were injured in the conflict.
The corporation council meeting, in which only ruling party councilors participated, ended in 15 minutes, reported Manorama News.
Meanwhile, the Kerala High Court on Monday observed that all laws regarding solid waste treatment were broken at Brahmapuram, and commented that the place's name itself has been rewritten following the accident. The Court asked the Corporation to produce all documents regarding the waste treatment contract. It also demanded details on the amount spent on waste treatment in the past seven years. Meanwhile, the Corporation secretary said a war room will be opened to tackle solid waste management in the city. The Court asked the district Collector to produce a report on Tuesday on the city's air quality.al Corporation
