Aima garbage treatment plant faces closure

BQ– Differences crop up between Aima panchayat and the Palampur Municipal Council. Aima panchayat has been not accepting the garbage sent by the Municipal Council to its plant for the past four days without segregation.

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Ravinder Sood

Palampur, January 29

The garbage treatment plant set up by Aima panchayat in Palampur is likely to be shut down following differences between Aima panchayat and the Palampur Municipal Council over the segregation of garbage into solid and liquid waste.

Aima panchayat has been not accepting the garbage sent by the Municipal Council to its plant without segregation for the past four days.

The garbage treatment plant is a model for the state and hundreds of panchayats have visited the plant. Recently, the panchayat pradhan reigned and took over as consultant with the state Rural Development Department. Since then, the functioning of the plant has been affected.

A spokesman of Aima panchayat said it had sent a notice to the Palampur Municipal Council for rescinding the agreement since the garbage was being sent without segregation. He said the plant was the property of the Rural Development Department and it should take over it in the public interest.

However, the president of the municipal council said the MC had always sent segregated garage to the plant. She stated that the MC was equal partner in the plant and had made investment in it. She said the MC had no land, therefore, it had tied up with Aima panchayat. She admitted that the formation of municipal corporation was the only solution to such problems.

Meanwhile, Parveen Sharma, former MLA, said BJP as well as Congress leaders were also opposing the formation of municipal corporation in Palampur because of their vested interest. He said Shanta Kumar was the only BJP leader who was instrumental in getting the draft approved for the setting up of the corporation but at the last moment it was stalled by leaders of both parties because.