25 biogas plants set up at ₹100 cr to be shut down by Pune civic body
PUNE: The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) on Tuesday decided to shut down its biogas plants
PUNE: The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) on Tuesday decided to shut down its biogas plants.
PMC had erected 25 biogas plants at the cost of Rs100 crore. The daily capacity of these plants was 2-7 metric tonnes. While many plants stopped functioning since last many years, others ran at less capacity.
Asha Raut, head, PMC solid waste management department, said, “PMC has taken the decision to shut down these plants.”
Municipal commissioner Vikram Kumar okayed the proposal to shut down the biogas plants.
Kumar had said, “As these plants are not functioning properly, PMC will demolish it and set up new four plants at different parts of the city.”
Meanwhile, both the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Nationalist Congress party (NCP) had taken steps to promote small biogas plants in the city.
The first biogas plant was set up at Model Colony in 2008-09 to generate electricity, before residents raised objection citing unpleasant odour.
To address the garbage issue at Uruli Devachi and Phursungi garbage depot, former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis had promised to erect small plants across the city. Pune MP Girish Bapat had instructed elected members to set up plants in their wards, but the plan failed to solve garbage issue with high maintenance cost as one of the reasons.
Garbage management
2008-09: PMC erects first biogas plant in Model Colony
25: Biogas plants set up by PMC
2-7 metric tonnes: Daily processing capacity of biogas plants
Rs100 crore: PMC spends on biogas plants in the last 10 years
Competition Commission of India had blamed PMC and municipal commissioner for “cartel” in biogas tendering process in 2017
Most of the plants are not operational
PMC plans to erect large capacity plants