The Hindu 01.03.2013
Corporation recycling project in line with budget incentive
Civic body to generate power by processing accumulated garbage
The Madurai Corporation’ proposal to generate power by processing its accumulating garbage would benefit fromthe announcement in the Union Budget that the Centre would encourage the local bodies to take up waste-to-energy projects.
Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram, while presenting the Union Budget in Parliament on Thursday, said that the Centre would support cities and municipalities in those projects by way of viability gap funding, repayable grant and low cost capital.
Madurai Corporation has already prepared a proposal to set up a 10 mega-watt power unit at the Vellaikkal dump yard. This plan is part of a basket of projects the city has proposed to implement under Phase II of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JnNRUM), the City Engineer (in-charge), A. Mathuram, said.
The city has already set up a waste processing unit at Vellaikkal dump yard to manufacture organic manure using the 400 tonnes of garbage collected daily by the 72 wards of the old city.
The project was implemented under Phase I of JnNRUM at a cost of Rs.30 crore.
“Now that the city’s boundaries have been expanded and the quantity of garbage generated every day has increased in the old city limit too, we are generating an additional 300 tonnes. We are planning to use this garbage for power generation,” Mr. Mathuram said.
The city proposes to use ‘Pyrolysis’ technique – a new technology for decomposition of the garbage to produce gas that could be used to generate power.
The cost of the project has been estimated at around Rs. 40 crore.
The project has been planned for implementation through public-private partnership.
Builders upset
The Builders’ Association of India (BAI) has expressed disappointment over the Union Budget 2013, describing it as one that was not very encouraging to industrialists and the general public who are struggling to cope with high inflation for a long time.
Its former president and national trustee, V. Ramachandran, said that BAI and other construction associations were expecting relief in taxes, particularly in the housing and infrastructure sector.
Rental housing
It expected the Government to encourage rental housing, reduce the interest burden, increase incentives in interest and principal amount on the purchase of apartments, expedite the clearance from the Ministry of Environment and encourage the power sector.
However, they were not met with a suitable response from the Government, he said in a statement.
Bold initiatives
The Government should come out with bold initiatives such as quicker approval of projects, availability of finance at competitive rates, streamlining of the tax structure in order to ensure growth and development, he said.
No major power project has been considered despite several States being in darkness and small and large industries floundering, though Rs.800 crore has been allotted to set up non-conventional energy units.
