Municipal Commissioner Anindita Mitra (file) The General House on Monday approved the repair of the waste processing plant at Dadumajra at a cost of Rs 6.33 crore. The agenda was passed on the basis of voting in the House.
Municipal Commissioner Anindita Mitra stated that it was really important to discuss this agenda. Since the setting up of waste to energy plant would take time, repairing the existing plant to let it function was the need of the hour, she said.
Even when the commotion was going on with AAP councillors not listening, Senior Deputy Mayor Dalip Sharma said that people have chosen each one of them for development in the city and it was important to discuss this agenda.
The agenda was brought as UT Administrator Banwarilal Purohit visited the dumping ground and ordered a solution for the same within three months.
Then, it was thought to repair the existing plant until the new waste to energy plant comes up. The existing plant at Dadumajra has not been functioning ever since the MC took over.
The Chandigarh MC signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Jai Prakash Associates for setting up of a Garbage (MSW) Processing Plant at Chandigarh on built, operate and transfer basis. The implementation agreement between the MC and Jai Prakash Associates was signed in December, 2005. The plant started functioning in May, 2008 with a capacity of processing 500 MT of waste without segregation.
After 2016, the plant was not properly operated or maintained by the agency as the demand of tipping fee by the company became a point of contention between MC and the company. With time the quantity of mixed waste treated by the plant reduced to merely 100 tonnes and the remaining waste had to be sent to the dumping ground.
A legal case also started between the company and the MC. Finally, the plant was taken over by the MC in June, 2020 after terminating the agreement and has, since then, been running the dry and wet waste plant. The mixed waste plant is not working at present due to non-functional machinery.
At the moment, IIT Ropar has been approved as a consultant for studying municipal solid waste in Chandigarh and to provide request for proposal for setting up a waste to energy plant. A preliminary technical draft report has already been submitted by IIT Ropar to the MC. It was stated that as the decision regarding construction of new plant and its working may take some time, the overhaul and repair of the existing plant has been proposed so as to make it functional till then.
The rates taken in the estimate are based on DSR 2018 for all DSR items. It was said that the detailed estimate will be prepared on the basis of analytical rates based on prevailing market rates.
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