The Hindu 18.04.2013
Rs. 70-cr. project for safe disposal of solid waste
The Berhampur Municipal Corporation (BMC) has decided to
recycle and safely dispose of the huge stock of solid waste dumped near
Chandania hill on the outskirts of the city.
It was
decided during a high-level meeting on solid waste management project
for the city. The meeting held at Gopalpur was chaired by Ganjam
Collector Krishen Kumar and attended by Berhampur MLA R.C.C. Patnaik,
Gopalpur MLA Pradeep Panigrahy, Berhampur Mayor S.S.Dash, officials of
the BMC, officials of International Financial Corporation (IFC) and
other organisations interested in the project.
The
Rs. 70-crore project for the city will be taken up in the Public-Private
Participation (PPP) mode. The BMC is taking up the project in
collaboration with International Financial Corporation (IFC), which is
providing technological and tactical support. As per the authorities of
the Berhampur Municipal Corporation (BMC), the tender process for the
project is expected to end by July.
The site of the
project has been decided to be near Mohuda village on the outskirts of
the city. It will come up on an area of around 30 acres. Fifty per cent
of the cost of the project will be borne by the IFC. Of the remaining
amount, the BMC will get 25 per cent of the investment as grant-in-aid.
The rest will be procured as a loan by the BMC.
Survey
As
per a survey made in 2009, Berhampur is producing over 150 tons of
solid waste every day. The solid waste treatment plant was earlier
proposed to be established at Chandania hill on the outskirts of the
city. Twenty acres of land was also earmarked for the purpose.
According
to the BMC sources, a boundary wall was built up around the land patch
at a cost of over Rs. 50 lakh. But it was found that the land at
Chandania hill was forest land and unless it was transferred to the
Revenue Department and consequently to the BMC, the waste treatment
plant cannot be established on the land. So, the new site has been
demarcated for the purpose near Mohuda.
But till now
solid waste of the city gets dumped near Chandania hill. The delegates,
who attended the meeting on solid waste management, also visited the
Chandania hill site. It was decided that the huge dump of waste could
not left to destroy natural habitat of the area. So, it was decided that
measures would be initiated to recycle and safely dispose of the dumped
waste.