KOCHI: Transport Minister Aryadan Mohammed on Thursday aid that it was unfortunate that the city did not have enough sewage treatment plants considering the population and pollution.
He was speaking after inaugurating the Environment Day celebration organised by the Kerala State Pollution Control Board at the IMA Hall here.
“I do not deny that people have complaints. Kochi is Kerala’s economic capital, and more pollution monitoring systems should be set up to ensure that the city is pollution-free,” Aryadan said.
At the function, the minister also distributed the Kerala State Pollution Control awards for this year. The awards were presented to organisations having the best pollution control systems, under the categories of ‘very large scale, large scale, medium scale industries group-A and B, small scale industries, stone crusher, dairy, print and visual media, hotels, resorts, local self governments and government/private/ayurveda hospitals’.
Nine organisations won the excellency award, while more than 90 organisations won the first, second, third and appreciation awards across the categories.
Minister for Fisheries, Port and Excise K Babu launched the Online Consent Management and Monitoring System (OCMMS) for the Kerala State Pollution Control Board. Hibi Eden MLA released the OCMMS operational guidelines.
P Rajeev MP released the water/air quality directory compiled by the Board. Benny Behnnan MLA presided over the function. State Pollution Control Board chairman K Sajeevan, board members K Jinnas and P Molikutty also attended.
‘Consider CNG to Cut Pollution’
Speaking on the occasion, K Babu said that air pollution in the city was at its peak, and the government would consider the idea of popularising compressed natural gas(CNG) for running vehicles, at the earliest. He said that the government would take the necessary steps in this regard, including discussing the matter with vehicle owners. According to him, the development of the LNG terminal in Kochi is a positive step in this regard. “Following a Supreme Court order, the Delhi Government successfully implemented this on vehicles plying there. We will take the necessary steps to see the possibilities of such a change here too,” the minister said.Earlier, discussions were held on the prospects of KSRTC buses switching over to CNG. “The proposal did not work out as it requires a huge initial investment,” he said.
