Clean Kerala Company removes 17.68 tonnes from Pampa in Sabarimala cleanup drive

Clean Kerala Company Ltd has removed 17.68 tonnes of waste from Pampa pilgrim areas as part of a pre-season cleanup at Sabarimala, targeting about 27 tonnes in total. The New Indian Express reported that the Travancore Devaswom Board set November 10 as the deadline to clear accumulated waste from Pampa and Sannidhanam ahead of the Mandala-Makaravilakku pilgrimage season.

Clean Kerala's Pampa Waste Removal

Clean Kerala Company Limited is a Thiruvananthapuram-based waste management company founded in 2013, according to akta.pro company records. Of the 17,680kg collected from Pampa, 11,255kg was recyclable metal waste, 3,605kg recyclable plastic waste and 2,820kg rejected waste. CKCL managing director G K Suresh Kumar told the New Indian Express that around 10 tonnes of recyclable material will be lifted from Pampa on Tuesday.

Around 100 workers have been deployed for the cleaning operation, and the company plans to begin clearing work at Sannidhanam from Wednesday. Suresh said the absence of a systematic mechanism for segregating and removing recyclable waste had been a major concern at Sabarimala. "Earlier, recyclable materials were also being put into the incinerators and burned along with other waste. There was no proper system to account for the quantity of plastic and other materials removed for recycling. Now, we are introducing a system where the waste collected and transported is properly accounted for," he said.

A Travancore Devaswom Board official said the plan is to ensure complete sanitation across Pampa and Sannidhanam and the removal of waste by November 10. The official said the board's existing infrastructure, including the 5 MLD sewage treatment plant at Sannidhanam, the 3.5 MLD plant at Pampa, and incinerators with capacities of 700kg per hour at Sannidhanam and 400 kg per hour at Pampa, remains fully operational. The official added that the board is scaling up the three-bin system to improve segregation and that deploying tractors for waste movement from Sannidhanam will be impossible once the season kicks off.

Clean Kerala's Waste Collection Scale

According to akta.pro company records, Clean Kerala Company has collected 38,406 MT of segregated plastic and 1,23,986 MT of rejects from various districts. The same records show the company has paid Rs 27,86,18,480 to Haritha Karma Sena for waste collection services. Haritha Karma Sena is a professional team of Green Technicians and Green Supervisors, mainly Kudumbashree women, assigned responsibility for collection, transportation, processing, recycling or disposal and management of waste materials in association with local self-governments and Suchitwa Mission.

November 10 Clearance Deadline

The Travancore Devaswom Board has set November 10 as the deadline to clear all accumulated waste from Pampa and Sannidhanam ahead of the pilgrimage season, the New Indian Express reported.