Solid waste management plans for the State capital has started to take the right course after initial delays. The Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the project has been received by Ranchi Municipal Corporation and will soon be tabled before its Board for thorough deliberation.
In the DPR, Essel Infraprojects, the Mumbai-based agency with the responsibility to execute the solid water management in Ranchi, shared their working methods for waste collection around the city and plans for the proposed ‘waste to energy plant’ at Jhiri. As decided earlier, the report will now be considered by the Ward Councillors for devising an action plan for realising these strategies.
“We received the DPR for the project and enumerating details of the waste collection within city limits, the manpower and equipments to be involved in the procedure. Decision on its approval will be taken after it is assessed by the ward councillors on its merit,” stated Mayor Asha lakra.
For implementing the SWM project, all the 55 wards of Ranchi have been divided in four zones. Ward 1 to 12 and 49 falling under Zone 1, Ward 13 to 27 under Zone 2, Ward 28 to 38 under Zone 3 and Ward 39 to 55 in Zone 4. The project will begin with the 13 wards in the first zone and then expanded to the rest of the city.
Upgrading door to door waste collection, 400 mini pickup trucks will replace the cycle carts used to gather trash from all over the city. These new trucks will be equipped with Global Positioning System (GPS), enabling civic guardians to monitor their movements from a control room to be set up in the offices of the urban local body.
The plans also include a waste to energy plant where the collected trash will be converted into electricity. The plant, with the production capacity of 11.5 MW, is to be constructed in a 12 acre expanse near the RMC garbage dump in Jhiri.
“As the piece of land already belongs to RMC, there are no hindrances as to finding one or acquiring it. Now the construction will be started by Essel Infraprojects once they get the green signal,” said lakra.
The plant will convert waste into electricity, some of which will be used by the plant for internal use of the plant and the rest will be retailed for revenue. The ash produced in the production process will be used for making fly ash bricks and similar items.
“We are waiting for the final nod from the RMC Board. Waste collection around the city and construction work on the waste to energy plant will begin once the DPR is approved by the ward councillors,” stated Arun Kumar Singh, Manager of Ranchi unit of Essel Infraprojects.