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Ludhiana | MC chief directs contractor to commence bioremediation of waste by Oct 20
Facing wrath of National Green Tribunal (NGT) over poor solid waste management in the city, the Ludhiana MC has finally allotted the contract to dispose of 5 lakh metric tonnes of waste in the first phase at a cost of over ₹28-crore under the Smart City Mission
After allotting a contract to dispose of legacy waste accumulated at the main dump site on Tajpur road, municipal corporation (MC) commissioner Shena Aggarwal on Monday inspected the machinery deployed by the contractor for bioremediation of waste. Over 25 lakh metric tonnes of waste is accumulated at the landfill site spread over 49 acres.
Facing wrath of National Green Tribunal (NGT) over poor solid waste management in the city, the MC has finally allotted the contract to dispose of 5 lakh metric tonnes of waste in the first phase at a cost of over ₹28-crore under the Smart City Mission. Recently, NGT had also imposed ₹100-crore interim compensation (penalty) on the MC for failing to deal with legacy waste.
MC commissioner Shena Aggarwal said,”The machinery has been deployed at the dump site and the contractor has been directed to commence the trials. Directions have been issued to commence bioremediation by October 20.”
The project has been allotted to Latur (Maharashtra)-based firm and the stipulated time period to dispose of 5 lakh metric tonnes of garbage is 18 months, including the transportation period of the machinery. At least 2,600 metric tonnes of waste will be disposed of in a day after the process is commenced.
As per the MC officials, the contractor will dispose of all the waste and clear the land for the MC. It would be his responsibility to take care of material which would be recovered from the site, including refuse derived fuel (RDF), construction and demolition waste etc, the officials added.
MC additional commissioner Aaditya Dachalwal said the civic body was also expected to float tenders for disposing the remaining 20 lakh metric tonnes of waste in the coming days. “The state government has approved ₹100-crore for this project under the Swachh Bharat Mission,” he said.
Legacy waste a ticking fire bomb
Dumped at the site for a few decades, legacy waste is a ticking fire bomb because of frequent fire incidents reported at the site due to generation of highly combustible methane gas out of the waste. Major fire incidents had been reported at the site in the past, following which the nearby residential areas turned into a gas chamber and residents faced respiratory problems.
