The Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) will collect and reuse construction and demolition (C&D) waste generated across the city on daily basis. If implemented as planned, the move will also help keep the city cleaner.
The process to appoint private operator for the purpose has been completed in just two days as against the usual 30-45 days, as the state has authorised municipal commissioner Radhakrishnan B to act as administrator of the NMC.
The government has appointed the administrator as the five-year tenure of the corporators ended on March 4 and municipal elections have been delayed for various reasons.
Radhakrishnan told, “Letter of intent (LoI) has been issued to Hyderabad’s Ramky Enviro Engineers Limited on Wednesday. The operator will have to develop a C&D waste recycling plant within a year, though our target is six months.”
“The operator will arrange entire infrastructure to collect the C&D waste, estimated to be 150-200 metric tonne (MT) per day. Apart from C&D waste recycling, the project will also ensure no debris lies by the roadside, open spaces, in residential localities, thus giving a smarter and cleaner look to the city, which will help in improving Swachh Bharat Mission ranking,” he said.
“The project will also help in conserving the environment to a great extent,” he said.
The operator will have to introduce a helpline number on which citizens can call to get their C&D waste lifted. The operator will also have the right to recover charges from bulk waste generators like builders.
As per the plan, the operator will develop a recycling plant in five acre land allotted in Bhandewadi dumping yard, where he will produce sand, paver blocks, sculptures, road-divider material, bricks, gravel or any other such usable items and recover his investment and also the operation and maintenance cost. The civic body will pay Rs414 per MT to the operator.
The NMC will have to bear less than Rs20 lakh per month. Before appointment of two garbage operators in November 2019, Kanak Resources Management Limited was allowed to collect and transport C&D waste to Bhandewadi. The agency used to transport around 50-60 MT daily and charge Rs1,436 per MT, excluding the processing.
Now, Ramky Enviro will collect and reuse C&D waste and NMC will bear cost of only Rs414 per MT.
Kamlesh Sharma, who monitored solid waste management of the city for the last 17 years, said, “It is a win-win project for the NMC as well as the citizens. C&D waste is a big problem and will be resolved if the project is implemented properly.”
“The operator will have to be meticulous for the project to be sustainable. He will have to identify suitable spaces for storing the C&D waste at zone level and then transport it to the plant, apart from identifying customers for the products to be manufactured. NMC will benefit hugely and the city will get healthy atmosphere if the project is successful,” he said.
The municipal commissioner as administrator has helped in fast-tracking the project, which otherwise would have required permission of the standing committee to issue work order after civic chief’s approval. Now, the administrator is having the powers of the standing committee and hence the approval to issuance of LoI could take place in just two days.
