A view of the bio-mining works going on at Ariyamangalam in Tiruchy. MK Ashok Kumar
TIRUCHY: As the bio-mining underway at the corporation's largest dumping yard in Ariyamangalam enters its second phase, authorities expect work to remove subsurface waste to be completed by May. Senior officials said that the corporation, after the bio-mining project, would conduct a detailed study to assess if more waste lay beneath the surface and what steps could be taken to strengthen the soil. Such a study, officials said, would be crucial to implement any project at the site.
The corporation has so far spent Rs 74.39 crore to remove tons of waste from its 47.7-acre land. Since such a huge amount of money was spent in Ariyamangalam, authorities have decided to use the land for commercial projects. In the first phase, the corporation removed waste lying in about 7.6 lakh cubic metres. Now, works are on to remove the waste lying in about 3.3 lakh cubic metres beneath the surface.
"We started the second phase to remove subsurface waste last August. At present, we expect to finish work within three months. After the second phase, we are planning to have a study by experts from IITs to assess if there is a chance for more waste beneath the surface, in which case, we may have to conduct a third phase to work to remove it. The study would also assess if there is a need to strengthen the land before executing commercial projects like constructing shopping complexes or other buildings there," a senior corporation official said.
Sources said since second phase works are likely to be completed by May, the corporation is unlikely to allot money for further works at Ariyamangalam in the upcoming budget. "Usually, the corporation budget is tabled after the state budget. Therefore, it is likely to get scheduled by April. We may not get a clear idea about fund requirements for Ariymanagalam by that time. But, it will not affect the prospect of any work in Ariyamangalam since it is a crucial project," a source said.
