Herald brings both ‘bad’ and ‘good’ news for Panjimites on the crucial issue of garbage management and treatment. The State government’s ambitious seven-year old project- solid waste treatment plant (SWTP) at Bainguinim, is expected to be delayed further with the Corporation of the City of Panjim (CCP) now proposing to take up the facility under the Central Ministry’s Swacch Bharat Mission-Scheme. While the ‘good’ news is that CCP’s other long delayed garbage treatment facility behind the Heera Petrol Pump, near Kadamba bus stand, is scheduled to be commissioned from April.
Way back in 2009, the CCP had acquired land admeasuring 1,71,312 sq mts at Bainguinim for the construction of the SWTP. In the very same year, it also acquired 3,600 sq mts for a segregation and treatment facility behind Heera petrol pump. Marred with controversy and opposition, these projects, managed to win before the “Justice of Law”- in the interest of people.
“The capital city needs an integrated garbage treatment plant. We have wasted a lot of time but now with increasing waste generation, a proper treatment facility is the need of the hour,” CCP Commissioner Sanjit Rodrigues said.
Panjim on an average generates 70 tonnes of garbage every day, which is dumped at Taleigao, Patto Plaza (treatment plant) and at various compositing units. CCP has now stopped dumping waste at Campal parade ground, owing to public opposition and increasing incidents of waste catching fire.
Bainguinim
After missing out on funds under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) and then State government’s financial position restricting it to take up under DBOT basis, the CCP now wants to set up the facility under the Union Ministry for Urban Development’s Swacch Bharat scheme.
“In 2014, under JNNURM we got approval for the Bainguinim plant but since post approval, the new government (Central) took over, the project got no financial allocation. The Union Government then scrapped the JNNURM concept,” the Commissioner explained.
As a result, the State government decided to fund the project fully, which was estimated at Rs 140 crore. The facility that was supposed to be based on German technology was planned to be set up on Design, Build, Operate and Transfer (DBOT) basis. However, this too did not work out.
“So now we are planning to take up the project under the Swacch Bharat scheme, where we intend the Central government to provide partial financial support,” Rodrigues added.
Accordingly, a new detail project report (DPR) is being worked out which, most likely would be placed before the CCP Council for passing during its meeting scheduled on March 30.
Heera petrol pump segregation and treatment site
After a seven year saga, the CCP’s solid waste management site which has been created by land filling will finally see the light of the day next month. CCP has clarified that the facility will handle only commercial waste.
“We have already stated shifting machinery to the proposed site. Soon we will also be shifting the garbage dump, piled at the treatment site next to the SBI building at Patto complex,” Rodrigues said adding, “The facility will not be enough to tackle the entire city waste.” The Solid Waste Management Facility being built by Shilpi Constructions is being built on what was once a ‘lagoon’ and a ‘No Development Zone’ and marked as such in the Panjim Outline Development Plan.
