The Times of India 18.01.2010
Waste management project gets nod
HYDERABAD: After months of wait and several controversies, the municipal administration and urban development (MA&UD) department has finally decided to give a go ahead to the Integrated Solid Waste Management (ISWM) project which was on hold for the last six months.
The state government has issued a memo permitting project developer Ramky to take up works at Jawaharnagar dumping yard and abandoned dump yards at Fathullaguda, Gandhamguda and Shamshiguda for reclamation and alternate use. The Rs 434-crore solid waste management project is being taken up by the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation under Public-Private Partnership (PPP) mode. Though the Ramky group and GHMC entered into an agreement a year ago, the project implementation was kept in abeyance due to objections and concerns raised by municipal workers' unions.
The GHMC unions were opposing the handing over of collection and transportation of garbage to Ramky. The employee unions even went on strike and stopped sanitation works for a few days in July 2009 forcing the state government to keep the agreement on hold. After holding consultations with union leaders, the MA&UD department has issued a memo recently permitting pre-construction works.
Full-fledged works at the dumping yards for land filling including collection and transportation of garbage will begin in the next three months, GHMC additional commissioner (health and sanitation) Aleem Basha told TOI on Saturday. The state government has also agreed to provide funds and bear the project cost (including Centre's contribution) if the central government does not allocate funds for the project under Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM).
The Centre had earlier refused to release its share of Rs 152 crore under JNNURM on the grounds that the state had already exhausted its allocation for seven years apart from additional allocation of Rs 100 crore as per the Planning Commission's directive.
In view of this, the state government has agreed to bail out the GHMC by giving funds. The Centre is expected to release Rs 50,000 crore additional allocations to various states in August this year and the state expects allocations for solid waste management project at that time, Aleem Basha said.
The ISWM project is being taken up to dispose of the solid waste in a scientific way. The project involves development of five new garbage transfer stations, operation and maintenance of transfer stations, transportation from transfer stations to the designated treatment and disposal facilities, treatment and disposal, including development of four integrated waste management facilities in line with the Municipal Solid Waste (Handling and Management) Rules 2000, and reclamation and reuse of the existing dump sites for the solid waste management project.
The project was awarded to Ramky Enviro Engineers Ltd in February 2009 and subsequently it entered into an agreement with the municipal corporation for collection, transportation and reclamation of garbage generated in Greater Hyderabad. For this, the GHMC would pay Rs 1431 per ton of garbage.
For effective implementation of the project, the GHMC has begun the process of appointing an independent engineer. After completing the Request for Qualification (RFQ) process, two firms got qualified and these two firms were given Request for Proposal (RFP). The selection process is expected to be completed in a month, officials said.
The state government has issued a memo permitting project developer Ramky to take up works at Jawaharnagar dumping yard and abandoned dump yards at Fathullaguda, Gandhamguda and Shamshiguda for reclamation and alternate use. The Rs 434-crore solid waste management project is being taken up by the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation under Public-Private Partnership (PPP) mode. Though the Ramky group and GHMC entered into an agreement a year ago, the project implementation was kept in abeyance due to objections and concerns raised by municipal workers' unions.
The GHMC unions were opposing the handing over of collection and transportation of garbage to Ramky. The employee unions even went on strike and stopped sanitation works for a few days in July 2009 forcing the state government to keep the agreement on hold. After holding consultations with union leaders, the MA&UD department has issued a memo recently permitting pre-construction works.
Full-fledged works at the dumping yards for land filling including collection and transportation of garbage will begin in the next three months, GHMC additional commissioner (health and sanitation) Aleem Basha told TOI on Saturday. The state government has also agreed to provide funds and bear the project cost (including Centre's contribution) if the central government does not allocate funds for the project under Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM).
The Centre had earlier refused to release its share of Rs 152 crore under JNNURM on the grounds that the state had already exhausted its allocation for seven years apart from additional allocation of Rs 100 crore as per the Planning Commission's directive.
In view of this, the state government has agreed to bail out the GHMC by giving funds. The Centre is expected to release Rs 50,000 crore additional allocations to various states in August this year and the state expects allocations for solid waste management project at that time, Aleem Basha said.
The ISWM project is being taken up to dispose of the solid waste in a scientific way. The project involves development of five new garbage transfer stations, operation and maintenance of transfer stations, transportation from transfer stations to the designated treatment and disposal facilities, treatment and disposal, including development of four integrated waste management facilities in line with the Municipal Solid Waste (Handling and Management) Rules 2000, and reclamation and reuse of the existing dump sites for the solid waste management project.
The project was awarded to Ramky Enviro Engineers Ltd in February 2009 and subsequently it entered into an agreement with the municipal corporation for collection, transportation and reclamation of garbage generated in Greater Hyderabad. For this, the GHMC would pay Rs 1431 per ton of garbage.
For effective implementation of the project, the GHMC has begun the process of appointing an independent engineer. After completing the Request for Qualification (RFQ) process, two firms got qualified and these two firms were given Request for Proposal (RFP). The selection process is expected to be completed in a month, officials said.
