Kochi Corporation to Restrict Biomedical Waste Subsidy to Select Categories
Kochi Corporation will limit subsidised biomedical waste collection to eligible categories from this month, with new rates for others.
The Kochi Corporation will restrict subsidised biomedical waste collection to select eligible categories from later this month, ending the current universal subsidy. Under the revised system, most waste generators will pay ₹20 (plus GST) per kilogram, while the subsidised rate for approved categories will be ₹12 per kilogram. The Corporation's subsidy component will thus drop to ₹8 per kilogram from the earlier ₹28. Commercial establishments will be charged ₹45 per kilogram.
Since last month, Success Projects, a subsidiary of Raidco Kerala Limited, has been the sole agency collecting biomedical waste in the city. It operates two incinerators at Brahmapuram. Private operators Aakri and Suchigo are no longer part of the Corporation's service network, and treatment at Kerala Enviro Infrastructure Limited (KEIL) in Ambalamugal has also stopped. The Corporation previously paid ₹38 (plus GST) per kilogram to KEIL, which had sought a further hike.
Health standing committee chairperson Seena Gokulan said the plan is to restrict subsidies to categories such as the bedridden, the extremely poor, patients in palliative care, and those certified by medical professionals. She noted that no subsidy applications have been received yet and blamed the Left Democratic Front (LDF) for disrupting the last council meeting before the matter could be discussed.
The Corporation has directed Success Projects to begin doorstep collection instead of ward-level drives, which involved collection from designated points. Such drives are now limited to councillors' requests due to the risk of biomedical waste being dumped from outside Corporation limits. Company sources said they hope to receive a comprehensive ward-level list of eligible beneficiaries before shifting to non-subsidised collection. Waste is currently still being collected at the subsidised rate.
Meanwhile, the LDF is preparing to protest what it calls a unilateral decision to withdraw subsidies at the council meeting scheduled for Thursday. V.A. Sreejith, LDF parliamentary party leader, said collection remains disrupted and the company engaged lacks adequate infrastructure, forcing the Corporation to allot its own vehicles.