Thiruvananthapuram, March 7 – A political row has erupted over waste management following the Attukal Pongala festival, with Education Minister V. Sivankutty stating on Saturday that the state government would intervene wherever necessary, even as the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation faces criticism over the slow pace of post-festival cleaning.
The famous Pongala festival, held on Tuesday at the Attukal Temple in the state capital, saw an estimated four million women from the state and outside participate.
The main ritual during the festival involves these women cooking dishes along the roads within a 10 sq km radius of the temple.
Notably, this controversy arises because it is the first time in the history of the state capital that the BJP is in power, having ousted the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front, which had ruled for over four decades.
Responding to the controversy, Sivankutty said the government would intervene in matters affecting the public.
His remarks came in the wake of sharp criticism from Mayor V. V. Rajesh, a senior BJP leader who had previously stated that the Minister should confine himself to his own department.
The exchange has escalated into a fresh confrontation between the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the Bharatiya Janata Party over the handling of waste generated during the festival, which attracts millions of devotees to the capital city every year.
Sivankutty stated that he had directed officials to examine complaints regarding uncleared garbage in several areas days after the festival.
"I received phone calls from people raising concerns and also saw reports in the media. The government has a responsibility to ensure that necessary work is carried out. There is no need to create a dispute over that," he said.
He added that the government was aware of the issues and would act accordingly.
At the same time, the Minister said it should also be examined whether there had been any deliberate attempt to blame the government.
The issue has also sparked protests on the ground.
Activists of the Democratic Youth Federation of India staged a march to the Attukal councilor's office, demanding immediate removal of waste from several parts of the city.
The youth organization warned that if garbage was not cleared from interior roads and areas around the temple, its activists would step in to carry out the cleaning themselves.
However, the Corporation has dismissed the criticism, accusing the CPI(M) of attempting to politicise the issue and claiming that the cleaning operations were progressing in phases.
The continuing exchange has turned the post-Pongala sanitation drive into a political flashpoint in the capital.