Sixteen central and Delhi government departments and municipal corporations have utilised only 12 percent of recycled products made up of construction and demolition waste against the target set for the financial year 2020-21.
These departments, including the Railways, Delhi Development Authority and National Highways Authority of India, were asked to utilise at least 15.8 lakh metric tonnes of recycled products in their projects this year by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
But only 1.92 lakh MT of recycled products, including paver blocks, kerb stones, bricks, aggregates and sand, have been used so far, according to a Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) report submitted to the National Green Tribunal.
Last year, the agencies met only 25 percent of the target (16 lakh MT).
Around 3,900 tonnes of construction and demolition (C&D) waste is generated per day in Delhi, requiring dedicated handling mechanism and disposal, according to DPCC.
There are four facilities in Delhi at Jahangirpuri, Shastri Park, Rani Khera and Bakkarwala which can recycle 4,150 tonnes C&D waste a day.
Dumping C&D waste in the open is one of the major reasons behind high levels of pollution in the city in winter. This waste also ends up choking storm water drains and polluting the Yamuna riverbed.
The Railway Board, Delhi Tourism and Transport Development Corporation, Delhi Cantonment Board and National Capital Region Transport Corporation have not used any recycled materials in their projects this financial year so far.
The Railway Board is supposed to use 10,000 metric tonnes of recycled materials, while the others have been asked to utilise at least 5,000 MT of it.
Central public sector undertaking National Buildings Construction Corporation Limited has used only 282 MT or 0.3 percent of the target (1 lakh MT).
The National Highway Authority of India, which has to use 5 lakh MT, has utilised only 2.1 percent of it so far.
The Delhi government's Irrigation and Flood Control Department has utilised only 3,505 MT or 1.8 percent of the annual target (2 lakh MT) so far.
The Central Public Works Department has put to use 4,146 MT or 4.1 percent of its quota.
The Delhi Development Authority has already met 74.1 percent of the 1 lakh MT target. The East Delhi Municipal Corporation and the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation have also managed 43 and 41 percent of their targets.
The Delhi Pollution Control Committee has written to NHAI, NBCC, CPWD, PWD, and I&FCD, asking them to take action urgently to increase the lifting of C&D recycled materials to meet the targets.
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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