Villagers demand project site’s shifting
A proposed solid waste treatment plant of the Brahmapur Municipal Corpor-ation (BMC) faced stiff protest from the villagers who would be affected by the project. The locals fumed against the plant at a meeting held on Thursday by the Odisha Pollution Control Board (OPCB).
When a team of high-level officials of the BMC and the local representatives conducted the public hearing at the Bhairabi High School, Mohuda on the outskirts of the city, a large number of villagers of nearby five villages led by Mohuda Sarpanch Sadhana Mohanty and former Sarapanch Radhamadhab Mohanty came to the hearing place and protested to the proposed plant at Mohuda apprehending pollution and mosquito menace in the area.
The villagers staged a protest and demanded to shift the proposed solid waste management plant to some other place. The villagers reportedly threatened to intensify their agitation if the BMC does not heed to their demand.
According to Biswanath Dalai, a villager of Mohuda village, the proposed solid waste management plant will pollute the entire area and breed mosquitoes causing health hazards. Besides, it may affect population of around 30,000 and may harm 10,000 domestic animals in the region, he said.
The villagers of five nearby Panchayats participated in the public hearing. Sources said that the villagers were brought by bus and other vehicles by the BMC to garner support in favor of the plant. The Secretary of Odisha Pollution Control Board recorded the views of both the supporters of the plant and those who spoke against the plant. For the meeting at the school, no permission was taken by the BMC or the District Administration from the school authorities, alleged Samiti Member Paresh Nahak. The situation in the area remained tense for some time.
Notably, the BMC had earlier planned to establish a solid waste management plant at Chandania hill on the outskirts of the city covering 20 acres of land on which a boundary wall had been built up around the land at a cost of over `50 lakh. For the project, the BMC had received a Central assistance of more than `11 crore during the tenure of the last council. But it was found that the land at Chandania hill was forest land and needed to be transferred first to the Revenue Department and thereafter to the BMC for which the waste treatment plant could not be established, sources said.
Further, the BMC apprehended pollution of ground water for which the project was kept in abeyance keeping the public interest in mind. As a result, the Central assistance remained unspent since then. This compelled the BMC to search for an alternative site for the proposed plant.
Accordingly, a Government land of over 30 acres located near Mohuda village was chosen for the purpose. But the proposal right from the inception was protested by the public.
It may be recalled that the BMC reportedly conducted a survey in February 2009 in the city to assess the nature of solid waste generated in the area. As per the survey, Brahmapur was producing over 150 tons of solid wastes every day and the nature of solid waste also changed every day as per change in lifestyle of the inhabitants. The quantum of solid wastes also got increased manifold day by day with the increase of population.
The International Financial Corporation (IFC) is providing technological and tactical support for the solid waste management project. To appraise the members about the technical feasibility and the benefit of the plant, a team of three officers of the IFC comprising Tamali Ganguli, Sanjukta Sarkar and Tapan Sen, visited the site in May last.
Sources said that during the visit of the city, the IFC team had expressed their concern and displeasure over the bulks of solid wastes lying un-lifted on the roads. For the upcoming plant, the BMC has signed a MoU with a Vadorda base private firm ‘UPAl’ for construction of the plant at Mohuda. For lifting and transportation of the garbage, the BMC would pay `70 lakh every month, sources said.
BMC Commissioner Anjana Panda said that the solid wastes would be collected in three classified groups and will be kept in one place at the first instance and thereafter will be taken to the plant site for their recycling adopting scientific procedures without polluting the environment. By this plant, the public of the adjoining villages can also bring their solid wastes to this plant for processing. The officers assured the local public that their interest would be protected and the byproduct of the plant can be used by the local farmers as compost for fertility of their land while its water can be used in farming.
Among others Additional Collector of Ganjam Sitanshu Rout, OPCB Secretary Dr PK Mohapatra, local MlA Dr Ramesh Chandra Chyau Pattnaik, BMC Commissioner Panda, Mayor K Madhavi, Deputy Mayor Sanjukta Nayak, BMC Deputy Commissioner Dipti Mohapatra, Health Officer Dr Subhakanta Das, Executive Engineer Asim Mishra, BMC Slum Development Officer Sangram Keshari Panda, the Corporators, police and UPAl representatives were present.