For the proper disposal of refuse derived fuel (RDF) generated in the solid waste management and recycling plant at Sheeshambada in Dehradun, Ramky Enviro Engineers Limited (REEL) that manages the operation of the plant, is ready to spend about Rs 150 crore to set up waste to energy power plant in Dehradun. About 100 metric tonnes of RDF is generated daily in the plant but the management has been unable to dispose of it completely so far. In the past, the locals living nearby the plant have also alleged that tonnes of RDF were buried by the administration of the plant, though the management has repeatedly refuted the allegations.
However, the company has asserted that it is planning to set up a six megawatt waste to energy plant in Dehradun for which it has already submitted a proposal to Uttarakhand Government and expressed its willingness to spend about Rs 150 crore. According to the management of REEL, the head of the Waste to Energy division of the company had a meeting with the chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat in January explaining how setting up a waste to energy power plant facility in Dehradun can be a permanent and sustainable solution for the disposal of RDF generated from the waste collected from the city.
As per the management, the company is well equipped to begin the construction of the power plant but is awaiting the approval of the State government and the Municipal Corporation of Dehradun (MCD). Meanwhile, on the question of why it is taking so long for REEL to get No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Uttarakhand Environment Protection and Pollution Control Board (UEPPCB), the management said that it got delayed due to ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and associated lockdown that commenced from March. They claimed that they had submitted the renewal application online to UEPPCB and a site inspection has also been conducted by the board. The management is in touch with the board and is optimistic about getting the renewal certificate of Consent to Operate (CTO) from the pollution control board in the next few days.