The Brahmapuram solid waste treatment plant.
| Photo Credit: FILE PHOTO
Amid allegations of corruption and protests by the Opposition Congress and BJP councillors, the Kochi Corporation extended the contract with Bhumi Green Energy, the company engaged for biomining of legacy waste at Brahmapuram, till September 30.
Responding to protests by the Opposition, Mayor M. Anilkumar said that it was improper to create a dispute over an issue of common interest to the city, and that the procedures were transparent. The company has requested contract extension citing financial constraints and difficulty in completing biomining within the existing time frame.
The United Democratic Front (UDF) alleged corruption when the issue was considered. The UDF councillors alleged that the volume of waste at Brahmapuram was exaggerated and also cited audit objections and the failure to complete biomining within the agreed time while demanding not to extend the contract.
The Mayor said that 90% of biomining had been completed. The Corporation has made a commendable achievement at Brahmapuram, which is fast emerging as a model for the rest of the country. The UDF was against biomining at Brahmapuram, which was driven by politics, said Mr. Anilkumar.
UDF and BJP councillors had seen the work of Bhumi Green Energy and were convinced. There is no corruption in biomining. The High Court, Ministry of Housing, and the National Environment Research Institute have commended the operations at Brahmapuram. Audit objections have been given proper responses, the Mayor said.
The bill is not based on refuse-derived fuel (RDF) but the volume of waste handled. Mr. Anilkumar said that anyone could examine them, and that the extension of the contract was a legal obligation. According to the survey conducted by the Kozhikode-based National Institute of Technology, there were over 8.43 lakh tonnes of legacy waste at Brahmapuram. In the initial survey, it was 7 lakh tonnes. Over 7.32 lakh metric tonnes of legacy waste have been treated till June 12.
Incidentally, the company, in last June, had claimed that biomining of 50% of legacy waste at the Brahmapuram solid waste treatment plant had been completed, and that the entire project would be completed by April 2025. The Pune-based Bhumi Green Energy started biomining of legacy waste on January 15, 2024. Non-recyclable waste segregated through biomining is being diverted for cement production. Such waste is being shifted as RDF, which is used by cement factories.
Biomining followed a devastating fire on plastic heaps at Brahmapuram in 2023 that lasted almost a fortnight.
Published – July 31, 2025 01:58 am IST
