The Hindu      Andhra Pradesh (Visakhapatnam)    06.09.2016

10 waste-to-energy plants to go on stream next year

Waste-to-energy plants in 10 urban local bodies in the State are likely to function from next year.

While detailed project reports (DPRs) are ready for 63 ULBs, 10 of them will start producing power by combustion of municipal solid waste, according to Managing Director of Swachha Andhra Corporation D. Muralidhar Reddy.

Though the waste-to-energy plants are planning to start operations from the end of 2017 or January, 2018, we are insisting that they go on stream from October 2, 2017,” Mr. Muralidhar Reddy told The Hindu over phone when contacted.

The 10 ULBs are: Visakhapatnam, Tirupati, Kurnool, Anantapur, Kadapa, Nellore, Guntur, Machilipatnam, Tadepalligudem and Vizianagaram. For the Visakhapatnam plant the process of lease of land is under process, he said.

Together the 10 plants will produce 63 MWe of power.

Mr. Muralidhar Reddy said it was for the agencies executing the projects to stick to the guidelines in Municipal Solid Waste Management Rules and separate the organic waste for making compost or biomethanation, recyclables and un-recyclables. To promote making of compost from urban solid waste, the Central government has introduced a market development assistance of Rs.1,500 per tonne of city compost. It will be paid to the fertilizer company for co-marketing city compost along with chemical fertilizers. After the policy was announced in January, tripartite agreements were signed between 50 ULBs, compost units and fertilizer companies. According to officials in the Swachh Bharat Mission, New Delhi, at present there are 45 functional/sub-optimal plants making 1.5 lakh tonnes of compost. As a result of the new policy, it is expected to reach 10 lakh tonnes by March 2017.

With another 283 plants under construction, upgrade or revival are expected to add another 13 lakh tonnes taking the total compost production to 23 lakh tonnes.

However, Mr. Muralidhar Reddy said no such tripartite agreement was signed for compost-making in the 63 ULBs in the State. For another 47 ULBs expression of interest has been called for and the request for proposal will be issued in a few days. “If we get such proposal in them we will take it up,” he said.

The Hindu        Kerala (Kochi)     06.09.2016

Reluctance to collect professional tax draining Corporation coffers

The Kochi Corporation’s approach of going soft on professionals in the city has led to a huge revenue loss, an audit report has found.

The annual audit, conducted by the Local Fund Audit wing of the State government, has revealed that the civic body was reluctant to collect professional tax from the various professionals working in the city.

There are around 2,000 lawyers attending to various city courts as well as the High Court of Kerala. Of this, 120 work as government pleaders and 100 others as public prosecutors. However, professional tax was collected from only a few lawyers. The civic body officials did not respond to the queries raised by the auditors in this regard.

A large number of doctors are employed in nursing homes, health care centres, private hospitals, government hospitals and super specialty hospitals in the city. On inspection of the records, according to the auditors, professional tax was collected from only a few doctors. The civic body sustained heavy loss on account of the failure of the authorities to collect the tax, said the report.

The State auditors also pointed out that the civic body was in the dark about the officials engaged in the work of the Kochi metro rail. The civic body has not paid attention to collect professional tax for the 2014-15 fiscal though the metro works began in the city in 2013. There were also lapses in collecting the tax from those employed in Kendriya Vidyalayas and unaided CBSE schools in the city.

The audit report has pulled up the officials of the corporation for their failure in assessing and collecting the professional tax. It also found lapses in maintaining the documents related to the collection of professional tax.

GAPING HOLES

Annual audit finds that civic body has collected tax only from a few lawyers and doctors in the city

Auditors point out the Corporation is in the dark about officials engaged in metro rail work