City’s first Waste to Energy project fails to take-off
| Date :24-Apr-2019 |
Staff Reporter:
After passage of one year of ground-breaking ceremony of city’s first waste-to-energy plant, the project is yet to take-off. Nagpur Solid Waste Processing and Management (NSWPMPL), a company incorporated by EIL (Essel Group), was expected to develop the project with an investment of over Rs 219 crore with Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC). The bhoomipujan was performed with much fanfare in the presence of Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Union Ministers Nitin Gadkari and Piyush Goyal in July last year and hitherto nothing has moved.
The company was supposed to start its functioning within two years. Apart from the investment by company, NMC was to contribute Rs 70 crore. Presently a total of 1,200 tonnes of waste is dumped in Bhandewadi everyday. Out of the total dumping, 800 tonnes was to be used under this project to convert it into energy. As per the agreement the company was to operate and maintain the plant for 13 years and would ensure air and ground water pollution. Under the project, Company was to generate 11.5 MW power from 800 tonnes of garbage. It was to earn its revenue from Maharashtra Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL). This would have added to the total power kitty of Nagpur city had the project been started.
When ‘The Hitavada’ Corespondent took a round of Bhandewadi he found the office of the company situated near the only dumping yard, locked. He was told by the persons operating on various projects of NMC near there the office of NSWPMPL was closed since last one month. When contacted by ‘The Hitavada’ Abhijit Bangar, Municipal Commissioner admitted, “It was supposed to start by now. I had held two meetings regarding the project with the company people. I was told machine installation was to be done and project was to be started by now. I am contacting company people who are responding to my calls that it would start soon. But nothing is in sight till now.” Reliable sources said that political leaders are not confident about the viability of the project.
What would happen if the project won’t take off. A very senior official from Urban Development department on condition of anonymity said if a project remain a non-starter then the ranking of Nagpur done by Swachh Sarvekshan Survey would lower down further as the marks for waste to energy project would be deducted. It is noted that Nagpur ranks 55 out of 500 cities of the country surveyed in 2018. The survey is done every year.