Aurangabad, Nov 13:
If all goes well, the Aurangabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) has decided to operate garbage processing plants at Padegaon and Kanchanwadi after Diwali festival. As reported earlier, the AMC had planned to start four garbage processing plants in four corners of the city.
The city witnessed severe garbage menace in 2018 after the villagers prevented the civic administration from dumping the garbage at Naregaon Depot. The sudden action by people pushed the civic body into worry. The AMC and the state government had to face hardship in searching suitable alternate land to dump the garbage daily. Heaps of garbage had formed on every important road and bylane of the city during the menace, and citizens were also facing health threats.
To find a way out the AMC prepared a detailed project report (DPR) seeking funds to take appropriate measures including the establishment of four processing plants at Padegaon, Harsul, Chikalthana and Kanchanwadi. The state government had approved the DPR. The erection of plants was supposed to start in a year, but could not due to strong opposition from residents staying in its neighbourhoods. The plant at Chikalthana got started in June last year, the land dispute at Harsul plant is underway. Kanchanwadi plant will be producing gas from hotel waste and wet garbage. Earlier, it was lying pending for past 8-9 months due to non-availability of power supply. Now, the power supply issue is resolved, and the project will be functioning soon. The controversy relating to the Padegaon plant is also underway. Its work is also in the last leg. Both the plants (Padegaon and Kanchanwadi) will be functioning after Diwali, said the SWM cell head Nandkishore Bhombe.
The plant at Harsul has been pending since the invitation of tender. There is a land dispute as the farmers staying near the plant are claiming ownership. As a result, the civic administration has decided to measure the land and then start the works, it is learnt.