Amid protests against the Kozhikode Corporation’s move to set up a Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) in West Hill Division (Ward 73), District Collector Snehil Kumar Singh has directed officials to initiate steps to get technical sanction for the project.
Mr. Singh issued the directive at a recent meeting attended by officials from Kozhikode Corporation, District Suchitwa Mission, State Pollution Control Board and local self-government departments.
Earlier, residents under the auspices of the Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe Protection Committee had opposed the civic body’s plan to set up a plant in the Shanti Nagar Colony area. The committee said shifting the STP — abandoned in areas like Avikkal after strong public opposition — to Shanti Nagar, home to hundreds of ordinary families, including Scheduled Caste residents, was a violation of constitutional rights.
Reacting to the decision to seek technical sanction, Satheesh Parannur, patron of the committee, said the project was “illegal” and should not be implemented. “We will oppose the project legally and through strong public protests. The civic body should not turn Scheduled Caste settlements into a dumping ground. It should withdraw its intention to set up a plant in a residential area and shift it elsewhere,” Mr. Parannur said.
Recently, Shanti Nagar Residents Association filed a complaint with Corporation Secretary NK Hareesh regarding the construction of STP.
West Hill Ward Councilor K. Saritha also said that the corporation has not yet disclosed the full details of the project. Ms. Saritha said that despite repeated requests, the Detailed Project Report (DPR) has still not been made available to her either.
She also expressed doubts about how the VTP was designed to work. The councilor stated that there is no clear answer to the question of whether the purified water will be discharged into the sea. “We don’t agree with her being released into the sea,” she said.
In the meeting, the district collector also directed the corporation to start a tender process to appoint a new contractor to replace the one responsible for the faulty operation of the STP at Kozhikode Medical College Hospital and take action against the erring contractor.
He also directed the civic body to expedite follow-up procedures for the VTP Sarovaram, which has received planning permission.
Published – 10 May 2026 19:29 IST
