A high-powered committee of the UT administration led by UT adviser Dharam Pal announced the integrated solid waste processing plant would be constructed in two years and be operational for 25years, directing stricter penalties be imposed for non-fulfilment of environmental and emission norms and accepting the recommendations of the CSIR-National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI).
The committee asked the civic body to incorporation provisions of heavy penalties in the rules for the selected bidder if even a single environmental rule was violated while operating the newly-planned waste management plant.
“After processing of garbage, inert gas and emissions should meet all the environmental norms and parameters. The project’s discharge will be high, making environmental issues crucial, especially when the project is being planned for a period of 25 years,” said sources.
In another decision, the committee ruled that material recovery facilitation centres would be operated and maintained by a private party. “The collected garbage of the city comes to the three centres located in different parts of the city. The idea behind giving them to a private player is to remove ambiguities or confusion in accepting and processing garbage in the future. Giving both the works will be more feasible for a better outcome. Currently, these centres are being run by the MC,” sources said.
The committee also finalised the project would be executed as a public private partnership ( PPP) in which land and viable gap funding would be provided by the civic body, while investment was proposed to be made by private investor who would own the by-products as well.
