Corporation to present waste management DPR before state panel today

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Three months after the state-level empowered committee (SLEC) rejected the detailed project report (DPR) prepared by corporation on waste management, corporation secretary L S Deepa will give a presentation of the DPR before SLEC on Tuesday. Following the rejection of DPR, mayor V K Prasanth had come out openly against SLEC and corporation has resubmitted the DPR without any change.
Corporation has also submitted a request to chief minister citing objections to decision taken by SLEC. It was following the strong objection raised by the corporation SLEC has now asked for a power point presentation.

The civic body will present the project report without any variations on Tuesday. The project report proposed source-level treatment, community-level treatment, operation and maintenance and recycling strategies enlisting projects to be executed at a cost of Rs 33.84 crore. The report noted that due to the closure of the solid waste management plant at Vilappilsala, Thiruvananthapuram municipal corporation was trying to achieve its goal through decentralized solid waste management system. At the household level several methods were introduced for treating the bio-degradable waste generated.

SLEC in its meeting held on June 29 had considered 19 DPRs prepared by various civic bodies for approval. 17 DPRs were approved exempting the DPR of Thiruvananthapuram municipal corporation and Malappuram municipality.

The civic body will present the extent to which it has implemented decentralized waste management in the city. As per DPR, 60% of total households are treating bio-degradable waste at source level. The civic body has so far installed 87,000 pipe composts, 1,749 biogas plants, 7,000 kitchen bins and 15,833 bio composters. Besides, it has installed aerobic bins over 30 locations and 12 tonnes of waste generated per day is treated using aerobic bins. Five markets; Palayam, Peroorkada, Ulloor, Edapazhanji and Kalippankulam have been installed with aerobic bins. The approval of DPR is key to corporation’s plans as it will be eligible for financial assistance from the centre.

SLEC has recently approved DPR submitted by 74 civic bodies and submitted it to ministry of housing and urban affairs. The total estimate of DPRs is Rs 222.49 crore.

Even after the state-level empowered committee had rejected DPR of city corporation focused on decentralized waste management, the health wing has recently approved a plan to revamp 10 community biogas plants which had been dysfunctional for a long time. The annual maintenance contract for these waste management units was fixed at Rs 18.44 lakh at a rate of Rs 1.84 lakh per biogas plant