Chandigarh, May 21:General (retd) S.F.Rodrigues, the Administrator Union Territory, Chandigarh and Governor of Panjab inaugurated the municipal solid waste processing plant in Dadu Majra here today.
"This project is for the benefit of the common man and only need is to sustain this project to make it a success," he added. This would not only rid the city of stink and pollution but would provide eco-friendly alternative fuel
The plant, a public private initiative between Jaiprakash Associates Ltd and the Municipal Corporation, Chandigarh, has been completed in a stipulated time frame as per the agreement which was signed on 30th December 2005 and its foundation stone was laid by Gen Rodrigues on 21st February 2006, said Mr. Rajiv Gaur, President, Jaiprakash Associates Limited.
The plant shall be operational after about three months when complete process gets stabilised, he informed.
Set up at a cost of Rs.30 crores on a 10 acres land, the plant which is one of its kind in northern India, has the installed capacity to process 500 ton per day of municipal solid waste, which will be converted into refuse-derived fuel to be used in a thermal power plant in Ropar and a cement plant of Jaypee Group in Himachal Pradesh.
Mr. Pradeep Mehra, Advisor to the Administrator, said that the leaves sheded by trees in the city, which is the greenest city in the country today, shall also be processed in the plant for converting to fuel pellets.
Dr. Roshan Sunkaria, Commissioner, Municipal Commissioner, informed that the city has simultaneously launched another complimentary project at the site to cap 42 acres of landfill site, and make it usable for putting up playground or sports facilities.
The plant is eco-friendly conforming to the norms laid down by Pollution Control Committee of Chandigarh Administration, and has been fenced, with green cover of trees planted around it to create the green buffer zone. The plant is fully-covered to minimise exposure to atmosphere, and arrangements to spray culture on the garbage to eliminate insects, flies and odour have also been made.
All critical equipment have been imported from Dopastadt Germany and the plant has been commissioned successfully in the supervision of German engineers, which has a fully-equipped laboratory, a workshop, and a fully-automatic control room, effluent treatment plant and fire safety equipment.
The project will give much needed relief to the residents of Chandigarh, and the localities near Dadu Majra waste dump site in particular, which suffered from methane emission due to anaerobic decomposition of MSW in uncontrolled open landfill site, which had so far been the only practice of disposal of garbage.
The project shall also help in conservation of fossil fuels, enhance nations’s energy security, prevent ground water contamination due to leakage of leachate, stop open dumping, enhance the city’s aesthetics and overall hygiene of the area in and around the landfill sties, said Mr. Gaur.
The function was attended by Home Secretary Mr Sanjay Kumar, Deputy Commissioner, Mr. R.K. Rao, former Mayor of Chandigarh Mrs. Harjinder Kaur, municipal councillors, and various officers of the city.
Jaypee Group a Rs.4,500 crores industrial conglomerate having rich presence in infrastructure, hydro-power, cement, education and hospitality sectors, embarking on environmental friendly projects to fulfill its social objectives, has taken up this project on BOOT basis – transforming challenges into opportunities – true to its reputation.