Solid waste mgmt plant begins working

Tribune News Service

Dehradun, January 23

The much-awaited Solid Waste management Compost Plant at Shishambara here has begun functioning today.

The plant intends to solve the waste-management problems of the city, by ensuring that the waste generated is converted into manure.

“We were forced to spend money to look for ways for disposing off the waste generated every day. It was becoming difficult due to the rising population and urbanisation. Now, we will be able to ensure that the waste generated is scientifically reduced to manure,” said Vinod Chamoli, Mayor.

Though the Dehradun Municipal Corporation had started the door-to-door collection of waste four and half years ago, the waste management continued to run in a piece meal manner without the solid waste management plant. The corporation continued to use trenching grounds to dispose off the waste, which was stiffly opposed by residents.

The Dehradun Municipal Corporation intends to earn revenue by selling the manure generated by the solid waste management plant and also utilise it in the state as well.

Though, the first proposal for the project was prepared in 2008, it could only materialise in 2011, but it still had to pass through environment checks and a go-ahead was given to the plant by the Ministry Of Environment in 2014. Finally, after the tenders were awarded in 2016, it became a reality in 2017. In between, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) through its various rulings kept the pressure on the Municipal Corporation authorities to start the project.

Today, the plant was formally inaugurated by Chief Minister TS Rawat and Uttarakhand Urban Development Minister Madan Kaushik and Chamoli.