TEAM HERALD
PANJIM: The capital city will continue to be haunted by the garbage menace and gut-wrenching stench for a few more months, as the state government’s proposed solid waste treatment (SWTP) facility at Bainguinim has been put on hold, after the Union Urban Development Ministry failed to make a budgetary provision for the project under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission.
Moreover, the Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP), the nodal agency for JNNURM projects for the city, has now been directed by the Union ministry to submit a fresh proposal for sanction under the new rules of the Urban Development Mission as and when launched.
“The project was sanctioned under the JNNURM by the central sanctioning and monitoring committee in February, 2014. However, the central government failed to make the necessary provisions for the project in the financial year 2014-15,” CCP waste management cell in-charge Sachin Ambe told Herald.
In February 2014, the Union Urban Development Ministry sanctioned almost Rs 90 crore for the Bainguinim plant under JNNURM which was to be utilised in 17 months from the date of sanction, i.e .up to July, 2015. However, with no budgetary provision, CCP is left with no funds to complete the project.
“We are now being asked to resubmit the proposal as per the new rules of JNNURM, which would be drafted shortly by the Centre,” Ambe said, adding ‘till the rules are out and the proposal gets resubmitted, the project will remain on hold’.
The solid waste management facility, which will be responsible for composting biodegradable waste and recycling plastics, is planned on a 1.10 lakh square metres plot acquired for the purpose around five years back. But, work on the project is yet to take off with only the boundary wall being constructed around the plot by Goa State Infrastructure Development Corporation (GSIDC), which was supposed to be the nodal agency for implementing this project.
The proposed integrated municipal solid waste treatment facility will be based on recovery of recyclables, segregation of waste by organic extrusion technology, bio-methanation and in-vessel composting. The proposed facility has been designed to treat 100 metric tonnes of waste per day generated in the capital and surrounding area.
With this project put on hold, the CCP will have to continue to depend on its waste treatment facility at Patto, which is causing a serious nuisance to the people residing in the surrounding areas. CCP is working to shift the facility behind the Heera petrol pump, even as the latter is an eco-sensitive area with mangroves and water bodies in the vicinity.
