KOCHI: Well begun is half done ,or so the saying goes. But for the Kochi Corporation, even the things that have a good start get stuck soon. This holds true for the squads formed to look into various aspects troubling Kochiites; including the anti-plastic squad, anti-public waste disposal squad and the ones formed to check the hygiene in hotels and eateries and the functioning of hostels. The squads, which were launched with much fanfare, have vanished into oblivion after the initial enthusiasm fizzled out. The reason given by the Corporation officials : "The Kochi Corporation officials constituting the squad are busy with tax collection and the licence renewal of all the shops in the city. As soon as this is over, our squads will swing into action," said T K Ashraf, Chairman, Health Standing Committee, Kochi Corporation.Adulterers unleashedIn early 2011, increasing public outrage about stale and adulterated food being served at hotels resulted in the Corporation launching a stringent campaign against such hotels. Many hotels, including prominent ones, were raided and served notices after the Corporation officials seized stale food from there. This continued for roughly a month and the drive was then dropped.Hostels ‘run amok’In October 2011, Express published reports on how the innumerable hostels in the city were exploiting inmates while providing pathetic facilities. Consequently, the Corporation officials announced a drive to keep a check on the functioning of the hostels and paying guest accommodation in Kochi. Continuous raids were held for a couple of days and then the squad realized that it had no idea about the whereabouts of the hostels. The officials then ran helter-skelter to make a list of all the accommodation available in the city. Now, the list is ready but the squad has vanished.Dumping under coverNoticing that the public waste disposal in the city is mostly done after dark, the Corporation launched three special squads of health officials in October 2011 to patrol the streets of Kochi every night to nab those involved in dumping waste.Many were fined and some even had their vehicles seized. But, even before the owners got their seized vehicles back, the night rounds of the squads became a namesake affair. Plastic still around For the umpteenth time in its history, the Corporation launched a campaign against the use of plastic bags (under 40 microns this time) in the city. It approached the merchant community to garner support but was faced with stiff opposition as it had failed to implement such bans previously. However, the ban was 'enforced'. Anti-plastic squads combed through shops to spot and fine defaulters. “Two special squads - one for East Kochi and another for West Kochi - were formed to conduct regular raids on shops to ensure that shopkeepers stick to the ban,” officials with the Corporation were said. Fearing the squad’s action, vendors began to use paper instead of plastic to wrap the items. However, the drive turned out to be a farce as the officials have no method to find out the original thickness of the plastic items.
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