The Hindu                     28.02.2014

Alternative waste disposal ground to come up at Rajarhat

To streamline the process of solid waste management in the city, the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has selected a 30-acre stretch of land at the Rajarhat New Town area on the north-eastern fringes as an alternative waste disposal ground to the one located at Dhapa, said a senior official of the civic body here on Thursday.

The project, however, will not just be limited to the disposal of solid waste but garbage will also be used to generate energy, Debabrata Mazumder, KMC’s Mayor in Council, Solid Waste Management, told The Hindu .

“A tender in this regard has already been floated. The technology to be used to generate electricity from garbage will be decided and put to use by the company to which the contract will be awarded,” he said.

The project will benefit the residents of the area near the garbage disposal ground at Dhapa, which is already overburdened with the huge quantity of waste generated everyday from the city and causes environmental hazards.

Mr. Mazumder said that the stretch of land at Rajarhat would come up as a much-needed “alternative” for Dhapa and “it will also play a crucial role in making the current process of garbage disposal more efficient.”

The West Bengal Housing Infrastructure Development Corporation about a month ago handed over the land to the KMC, which has been looking for an alternative garbage disposal ground over the last three to four years.