Waste management: Jolt to Mohali MC plan

Pavneet Singh Chadha

Tribune News Service

Mohali, May 21

Garbage woes in Mohali are set to continue as the Municipal Corporation (MC) did not receive any bid for the solid waste management plant at Samghauli. Even the Municipal Corporation’s stop-gap proposal to shift and process garbage from the Industrial Area to Lalru is pending with the Local Bodies Department for a few months.

In the soon-to-be announced Swachh Survekshan-2018, Mohali will lose crucial points since the district lacks a solid waste management plant.

In September 2017, the Mohali Municipal Corporation had floated tenders for setting up a processing and disposal (P&D) project with a capacity to process 250-400 metric tonnes of waste per day. According to sources, the plant, spread over an area of 50 acres with an estimated cost of Rs 150-200 crore, is expected to benefit 15 urban local committees, including Dera Bassi, Ropar, Kharar and Sirhind. It will take two years to construct the plant.

MC Commissioner Sandeep Hans said no bid had come forth for the waste-to-compost project.

“It seems bidders are reluctant due to viability concerns and may expect some subsidy or grant from the government for power generation. But, this is a long-term project and bids will be invited again with revised estimates,” said Hans.

In the interim time, till the waste management plant comes up, the MC had asked for an expression of interest to outsource the processing of waste to private agencies, but the proposal after being passed in the House is still pending with the Local Bodies Department.

A senior MC official said, “In November, an agency had expressed interest, quoting a price of Rs 300 per tonne per day (if the collected waste is sent to the company’s plot and the MC would bear the cost of transportation) and Rs 700 per tonne per day (if the company picks up waste from secondary points). Based on estimates, a proposal was sent to the Local Bodies Department for an approval, which remains pending to this day. Once the approval comes, the tendering process would be initiated.”

At present, over 125 metric tonnes (MT) of waste is generated in Mohali in a day. The waste is dumped at the Industrial Area, Phase VIII.