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.