Anchal: A heap of plastic waste has been dangerously dumped near the transformer at the autorickshaw stand in RO Junction, raising safety concerns among the public. Meanwhile, complaints are rife that the panchayat authorities have been continuously ignoring the complaints and warnings. Local residents point out that even a tiny spark from the transformer could start a huge fire.

The office of the forest department and lots of shops and other commercial establishments function close to this area. Everything would be engulfed by the fire in case of a fire outbreak, by the time the fire force reaches here from Punalur, which is 12 kilometres away. The plastic waste collected by the panchayat’s Haritha Karma Sena from various shops in the town are dumped into huge heaps here. Meanwhile, the shop owners pay a stipulated fee for taking away plastic waste. 

The public fears a fire outbreak due to high temperature and strong wind during the day. When the autorickshaw drivers approached the panchayat to express their protest, the authorities allegedly mocked them by saying that they would see when there is a fire outbreak. The drivers are helpless and do not know who to approach with their complaints now. Besides, the autorickshaws cannot be safely parked on the roadside because of the heaps of plastic waste. 

The authorities are turning a blind eye to this serious issue when the plastic waste could be temporarily stored at the nearby vacant land owned by the panchayat or in the stadium at Paravila ward in Agasthyakode.