KOZHIKODE: Heaps
of waste piled up in the surrounding areas of the biogas plant situated
at the central fish market at Valiyangadi will be removed to set up a
hotel. Members of Nirvau, Vengeri, entrusted with the task have already
started releasing the stored biogas from the plant before clearing the
piled up waste at the areas. At the present, around four cents of land
being used to dump the animal parts and plastic waste after the biogas
plant that was established in 2009 stopped functioning soon after its
commissioning.

Niravu
will set up a hotel to sell the traditional snacks and fried fish
items. Considered to be first of this kind of initiative in the entire
state, Niravu is taking up the project after the successful execution of
waste disposal at the Karipur airport. Kerala Agro Industries
Corporation (KAIC) Ltd had set up the biogas plant at the market at a
cost of Rs 27.6 lakh as part of the civic body’s decentralised bio-waste
management project in 2009. The plant has the capacity to generate 60
to 70 cubic meters of biogas per day.

The
biogas plant having the capacity to treat 2000 kg fish and meat waste
per day will be made functional. The generated biogas will be utilised
to run the hotel setting up at the site through the sponsorship. Around
Rs 15 lakh is required to set up the hotel. On an average around 200 kg
animal waste is being generated at the market.

Babu
Parambath, Niravu coordinator said all the dumped waste will be
disposed and a hotel will be constructed within a month. “We have
started releasing around 80 cubic meters of stored biogas plant from the
plant” he said adding that two sponsors have already come forward to
render financial assistance to set up the hotel,” he said.

Meanwhile,
corporation health standing committee chairman K V Baburaj said the
civic body will entrust Niravu to run the plant and to carry out
maintenance of biogas plant for a period of five years. “The irregular
maintenance resulted in non-functioning of the biogas plant. The gas
generating from the biogas will be utilised to run the hotel and also to
light up the lights at the market,” he said.