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Ludhiana: Project to dispose of legacy waste at Tajpur dumpsite to get delayed
The tenders for the second phase will be floated again as the companies which had applied for the tenders could not clear the technical evaluation round
: At a time when the organic and plastic waste dumped at the Tajpur dumpsite of the municipal corporation is witnessing massive fires due to the rise in temperature, the civic body’s project to dispose of around 19 lakh metric tons of legacy waste is set to be delayed further as the tendering round of the second phase of the bioremediation process could not be completed.
The tenders for the second phase will be floated again as the companies which had applied for the tenders could not clear the technical evaluation round.
Spread over 54 acres, the Tajpur dumpsite hosts around 25 lakh metric tons of waste. Under the first phase, the project to dispose of 5 lakh metric tons of legacy waste through the bioremediation process started in November last year.
The tenders for the second phase of bioremediation of the legacy waste were also opened in November.
Municipal corporation superintending engineer, operations and maintenance branch said, “Five companies applied for tenders after which the technical evaluation was conducted. During the procedure, it was found that the documents presented by the companies were not up to the mark and now the tenders will be called again.”
Apart from the legacy waste which stands at over 25 lakh metric tons, daily 1,100 metric tons of waste collected from the commercial and residential establishments on a routine basis is also dumped at the site.
The project for bioremediation of the remaining waste will be undertaken with the ₹100 crore allocated by the state government under the Swachh Bharat Mission.
In April last year, seven members of a family, who lived in shanties near the dump, were charred to death after a fire that broke out at the dump engulfed their hut while the victims, including five children, were sleeping inside. The National Green Tribunal had also imposed an interim compensation of ₹100 on the Ludhiana municipal corporation which was to be used for disposing of the waste.
Fire continuous at Tajpur dumpsite
The massive fire that broke out at the Tajpur dumpsite on Tuesday night continues to rage despite the efforts by the fire brigade officials to douse it.
“The (fire) department has permanently stationed as many as five fire tenders which are dousing the flames at the site spread over 40 acres,” fire department official Rajinder Singh said.
A fire department official said that with the advent of summer, the city witnesses incidents of fire every day. The major fire at the dumpsite has hampered the operations of the fire department which is already facing an acute staff crunch.
Due to the fire, the residents of nearby colonies, including Mahavir Jain Colony, GK Estate, Puneet Colony, Namdev Colony, and Kakka Village are panic-stricken as the smoke turned the areas into gas chambers.
