The Kerala State Human Rights Commission (KSHRC) has appointed former chief secretary S M Vijayanand as special rapporteur and monitor to assess the waste management system in the Thiruvananthapuram City Corporation (TCC). The commission characterised the solid waste disposal arrangements in the TCC as a huge crisis and said intervention was necessary amid growing concern over accumulation of refuse in public spaces and waterways. The mandate is to identify failures and propose corrective measures to restore collection and disposal services.

In an order the commission noted that canals and water bodies were being filled with large quantities of waste, including plastic, and identified Pazhavangadi Canal and Thekkanamkara Canal as major waste carriers where illegal dumping is prevalent. The order also drew attention to irregular cleaning of roadside drains and records that the matter arose from a suo motu case based on newspaper reports. Earlier directives had been issued to civic officials and the Local Self Government Department (LSGD).

The special rapporteur will examine complaints of large scale illegal dumping across TCC limits, with inspections planned for Pazhavangadi Canal, Thekkanamkara Canal and Amayizhanchan Thodu and an assessment of drain cleaning citywide. Two experts have been appointed to assist the exercise: R Ajay Kumar Varma, former chief scientist at the National Centre for Earth Science Studies and former executive director of Suchitwa Mission, and N Jagajeevan, a waste management consultant with Suchitwa Mission.

The corporation has been directed to submit full details of existing waste management programmes, covering human resources, infrastructure and financial particulars, and to provide information on proposed solid waste projects and anticipated funding sources. Officials must facilitate visits to treatment and disposal facilities and provide logistical support for data collection, mapping and analysis. The LSGD principal director is to appoint a nodal officer and organise consultation meetings to support preparation of the report and follow up action across the TCC.