Erode Council Clashes Over Decade-Old Compost Yard and Shifting Waste Mandates

Contamination Fears Drive Demands for Yard Relocation

Municipal solid waste has accumulated at the Vendipalayam yard for more than sixty years, a legacy of disposal that Ward 60 councillor K. Dhandapani argues has permanently damaged local ecology. During a council meeting on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, Dhandapani presented allegations that leachate from the site has turned local groundwater yellow, rendering it unusable. The demand for relocating the facility formed the centerpiece of a broader debate on environmental mismanagement.

Corporation Commissioner Arpit Jain countered these concerns by citing the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2026. This federal mandate requires strict source segregation into wet, dry, sanitary, and special-care categories. Jain detailed plans to mitigate the yard's burden through scientific processing, including:

• Implementation of a bio-CNG plant to transform organic waste into green energy.
• Clustering waste-processing facilities to localize disposal.
• Utilizing biomethanation for wet waste and dedicated recycling streams for dry materials.

Infrastructure Strains and Fiscal Resistance

The city currently produces approximately 250 tonnes of waste daily. However, officials admitted that the imminent merger of Lakkapuram and 46 Pudur panchayats next year will necessitate significant scale-ups. Plans to procure additional waste management vehicles are already in motion to address this expansion. Beyond sanitation, fiscal policies triggered friction as J. Saburama Minhaj (Ward 43), who recently transitioned to the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), led the opposition against proposed hikes in underground drainage and drinking water charges. These items were ultimately deferred following widespread council disapproval.

The 24/7 Water Supply Challenge

Mayor S. Nagarathinam presided over a session where Zone I chairman B.K. Palanisamy questioned the feasibility of Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay’s directive for round-the-clock water access. Palanisamy pointed out that residents currently receive water for only a few hours every two to five days. Commissioner Jain noted that while a World Bank-funded pilot project for constant supply is nearing completion in six wards, extending this to the remaining 54 wards requires both a council resolution and a pending detailed project report.

Political Friction and Administrative Deadlocks

The meeting highlighted a widening rift between elected representatives and Corporation officials. DMK councillors complained that administrative indifference toward council resolutions was damaging the party’s standing with voters. The session also devolved into heated political exchanges when DMK members criticized the rebranding of the Chief Minister’s Breakfast Scheme to the Kamarajar Breakfast Scheme, drawing sharp rebukes from TVK-aligned members and Congress councillor E.P. Ravi.

Source: The Hindu — Home