Indian Express 30.06.2010
Ajit Pawar rejects selected garbage sites, asks civic body to scout for new locations
Express News Service Tags : corporation, garbage Posted: Wed Jun 30 2010, 04:21 hrs
Pune: The district administration may have to scout for more locations for garbage processing sites. District Guardian Minister Ajit Pawar has raised objections to the two sites selected by the collectorate and the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) —Vadu Budruk on Nagar Road and Tulapur on Alandi Road.
“Garbage processing will not take place at these two sites as the people of the area do not want it,” Pawar said on Tuesday. He reiterated that these would be processing sites and not dumping sites.
However, the administration or the other authorities concerned are unaware of the sites being scrapped. Senior PMC officials said they have no idea where the new sites will be and acknowledged that they may have to search for new locations. The two sites of 25 acres each are awaiting formal approval. The PMC had acquired the land from the government for Rs 2.63 crore.
The district administration too said there had been no discussion on alternate sites. The sites were earmarked after dumping at Urali Devachi was stopped from May 1 and the state government decided to set up two more garbage processing sites.
If the sites were not sanctioned, the processing would have to be done in the existing sites, the officials said. At present, the Hanjir processing plant at the existing site takes on nearly 1,000 metric tonnes of garbage while the Hadapsar and Ramtekdi industrial units take on 100 metric tonnes each. The biogas plants in each of the wards take on another 50 metric tonnes. “Additional sites with garbage processing plants will always help us as back-up if there is any technical failure with any of the machines at other plants,” said a PMC official.
