Kurukshetra yet to find way to manage garbage disposal

Vishal Joshi

The holy city of Kurukshetra is struggling to find a long-term solution to safe disposal of municipal waste even though the garbage collection system has improved in the last two years. The Thanesar Municipal Council, comprising Kurukshetra city and adjoining villages, has the responsibility of collecting waste from the doorstep of people free of cost.  

The local body has engaged dozens of four-wheelers for garbage collection within the city limits. On an average, 70 tonnes of domestic waste is generated in the Thanesar Municipal Council’s jurisdiction every day. The waste is being dumped at Mukimpura village on the outskirts of the city. The local body has a stopgap arrangement with a private landowner for dumping of domestic waste.

Uma Sudha, chairperson of the local municipality, says that last month, the local body passed a resolution to further strengthen the garbage collection system. It was decided to provide every household with two bins to collect biodegradable and non-biodegradable waste separately. It will help in better disposal of garbage, she adds.

“Soon, our sanitation workers will start collecting waste segregated at source. As a trial, 10,000 garbage bins will be provided in urban estates while residents of other areas will be provided dustbins at a later stage. The segregated waste will be used for making manure,” says Uma.

Local BJP legislator Subhash Sudha says that he has been stressing on scientific disposal of garbage. “A proposal to set up a solid waste treatment plant at Patvi village in Ambala has been pending for the past several years. The project can consume municipal waste generated in Ambala and Kurukshetra. Also, domestic waste from Karnal was to be used to keep the plant running to the capacity,” he adds. 

However, the project planned on the public-private participation (PPP) mode is yet to take off. Official sources say the Ambala district authorities shut down the Patvi plant in 2008 after it failed to get the mandatory clearance from the Union Environment Ministry. The plant was constructed at an initial cost of Rs 12 crore with a capacity to treat 150 metric tonnes of solid waste every day. Also, it had the capacity to generate 5 MW in an environment-friendly manner.