The people of Vilappil panchayat, who were in huge numbers in the city on Wednesday morning, crying foul against the government move to transport machinery to Vilappilsala waste treatment plant, had to cut short their show of might.
The DYFI activists, who took to the street soon after the news of the arrest of the CPM’s P Jayarajan diluted the demonstration of Vilappil Samyukta Samara samithi who winded up the meeting, fearing tension in front of the Secretariat.
But the dharna, which lasted for one hour, was enough to throw the traffic in the main road into a mayhem. The highlight of the dharna was however the act of the Vilappil panchayat, who had entrusted some of the agitators to collect the garbage their members dropped in the venue and take it back to the panchayat. They collected the litter in sacks and took it home, leaving no chance for the Corporation to blame them of littering the city.
The dharna started off from the Martyr’s Square, Palayam and reached Secretariat where it was inaugurated by Speaker G Karthikeyan. Thousands of people, including women and children, were part of the agitation that saw the traffic moving in a snail pace initially and then coming to a complete halt in the MG road for sometime.
Speaker said that the State government had taken a favourable stand in the Vilappilsala issue however it was the City Corporation which was bent on toppling the good intentions of the government. “People of Vilappilsala do not have to fear garbage trucks anymore since the government is bound to keep its word,” the Speaker said.
The coming of the DYFI march to the venue generated a fear in the Samyukta Samara Samithi who were concerned of especially the women and child population among them.
“We did not want to put them into a danger because we sensed the DYFI activists were in a violent mood,” said Shobhanakumari, Vilappil Panchayat President.
The leaders then called off the meeting, packed the people back home and went visiting Chief Minister Oommen Chandy at his chamber.
“CM promised that no garbage would be transported to Vilappil. He said the machinery were being transported since it was a Court order which could not be defied,” Shobhana said.
The Samyukta Samara samithi had called for a hartal in Vilappil on Wednesday which was complete. The leaders then called an all-party meeting late in the evening to discuss how to protest against the transportation of machinery to the panchayat. They said that it would be planned more vigorous than the earlier one.
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