Kochi: Local Self-Government Department Minister M B Rajesh said 80 per cent of the fire at the Brahmapuram waste treatment plant has been doused.
As per reports, 678 people sought treatment for illnesses caused by the smoke from the fire, while 421 people reached the camps set up.
Talking to reporters here after visiting the Brahmapuram plant along with Industries Minister P Rajeeve, Rajesh said measures will be taken to avoid another Brahmpuram disaster from happening in the future.
He further said the action plan to eradicate Kochi’s waste disposal woes will be implemented on a war footing. “Haritha Karma Sena will be entrusted to collect plastic waste. A user fee will be charged for the same,” said Rajesh.
Earlier, the Kerala High Court appointed a committee to monitor the ongoing firefighting mission at the Brahmapuram plant.
The committee will have the district collector, members of the Legal Service Authority and officials of the Pollution Control Board as members.
A division bench took the decision while hearing a case initiated suo motu over the fire incident. In an oral observation, the court asked how long should the city suffer from the toxic smoke emanating from the burning garbage.
Meanwhile, healthcare workers will conduct a door-to-door survey to identify those who have symptoms of health issues caused by the fire and smoke from the plant. Expert healthcare will be ensured for the affected people.
The decision was taken at a high-level meeting convened by Health Minister Veena George in Thiruvananthapuram.
Hectic efforts have been on to extinguish the fire at Brahmapuram since it broke out on March 2. Several fire tenders, Indian Navy choppers and personnel as well as firefighting personnel and equipment from oil-PSUs Bharat Petroleum and Hindustan Petroleum, etc were deployed in the last few days to control the blaze and extinguish it.