Chandigarh Mayor, councillor for reducing project period

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 2

During a meeting of the high-powered committee on the new waste processing plant proposed to be set up at Dadu Majra here, Mayor Anup Gupta suggested to reduce the project period from 25 years to 15 years.

The meeting, which was chaired by UT Adviser Dharam Pal, and attended by Mayor Anup Gupta, besides councillors Gurbax Rawat (Congress), Hardeep Singh (SAD) and Kuldeep Dhalor (AAP), was held to take suggestions from elected representatives on the new waste processing plant to be set up at Dadu Majra.

The Mayor said the meeting was successful and they suggested some changes in the project proposal. It was suggested to reduce the project time span from 25 years to 15 years so that new companies can come up with new technologies after that, he said, adding that the Adviser considered the suggestions and the final nod would be taken in the House meeting scheduled to be held on June 6.

The Congress suggested that the plant should be first set for five years and extensions could be given to the firm, if garbage processing would be satisfactory. However, mutually it was suggested to reduce the time period from 25 years to 15 years, said Gurbax Rawat.

“We also suggested that the pre-bid meetings should be chaired by the high-level committee itself so that the project can be handed over to the private firm in a transparent manner and changes in the RFP, if any, can be made by the panel,” she said.

She also suggested hiring a team of engineers to supervise the working of the private firm. Also, suggestions were made to include the Mayor in the ‘dispute redressal committee’, along with the MC Commissioner, so that any disputes with the private firm can be resolved in future.

AAP councillor Kuldeep Dhanor suggested that the plant should not be set up at Dadu Majra and shifted to some periphery of Chandigarh.

In the last MC House meeting, the agenda was rejected by councillors, who demanded the representation of elected representatives in the meeting. Now, their suggestions will be incorporated during the meeting.

On June 6, the civic body will decide whether to approve the setting up of the new plant at Dadu Majra, the site from where the first part of legacy waste has been cleared. However, the ruling BJP may face difficulty in getting the agenda passed due to AAP’s resistance to the location. AAP councillor from Dadu Majra Kuldeep Dhalor has strongly opposed to the setting up of the plant there.

The MC took the plant from Jaypee firm nearly three years ago, but failed to set up a new plant so far. Following an inspection in August 2020, the IIT-Roorkee had observed all machines at the Sector 25 plant had already completed their lifespan. It had recommended setting up of a modern tonne per day (TPD) plant to treat dry and wet waste.