Rain and festival shopping spree add to waste mounds and stench

The consistent rain over the past couple of days and the Onam festivities have only added to the garbage crisis in the city. The situation at the busy Chala market has become so severe that shop-owners here have started terming it the “next Villapilsala.” V.S. Padmakumar, chairman of the works standing committee of the city Corporation, said on Friday that the local body was awaiting the green signal from the State government to transport waste to Parassala for platform construction.