Decks have been cleared for setting up a landfill facility on nearly 9.3 acres at Ayyankuzhi in Vadavucode-Puthencruz panchayat in Ernakulam.

The Keralam government has opted for negotiated land purchase instead of acquisition under the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act to avoid delays and minimise litigation over compensation by negotiating with the affected families, according to officials of the Department of Local-Self Government.

As per the initial project proposal, the site will be used to set up a scientific landfill under the government’s Kerala Solid Waste Management Project (KSWMP), aided by the World Bank, they said.

The much-delayed project received a boost after the government recently allocated ₹16 crore for the purchase of the land. Nearly 45 families, who were sandwiched on a 9.3-acre strip between two major public sector units — Hindustan Organic Chemicals Limited and BPCL-KR — had been demanding the acquisition of their land after living amid pollution for over four decades.

Officials of the Ernakulam district administration said the KSWMP would submit the request for land acquisition along with supporting documents as per the prescribed rules. The negotiated purchase of the land was initiated after the government gave its nod for the project, they said.

Saji Kumar, an office-bearer of Ayyankuzhi Janakeeya Samithi, said the families were awaiting the start of the land acquisition process. “We have been told that the district-level purchase committee will hold the required consultations with us soon,” he said.

Officials of KSWMP said the need to set up a landfill facility in Ernakulam was initially discussed in connection with the scientific management of inert waste generated by urban local bodies. The government had also considered a proposal to set up a facility for processing construction and demolition waste at the site. The development of the landfill is key to ensuring sustainable waste management in the region, they said.