Inaugurated in December 2013, the vermi compost unit established with a green and eco-friendly motto at the premises of Pahari Mandir is craving for maintenance at present. The concept behind this plan was to make best use of the wastes especially out of rotten biodegradable products which is offered throughout the year while go up during the Shravan and provide the compost to the farmers at a subsidised rate of Rs 5 per Kg.
Information coming in suggests that subtle change in master plan has posed hurdles before the managing committee in maintaining the units.
“We are having troubles in maintaining the vermi compost unit, as the process is under the rejuvenation of Pahari Mandir master plan drafted in June 2015. At present labourers too do not come to work and the entire work has come to standstill. Only after the final consent of the project, the work will be undertaken again by the NGOs. However, the Samiti will make some alternative arrangement for the time being,” said, Pahari Mandir Vikash Samiti PRO Mukesh Agarwal.
With the passing time, the units have suffered due to ignorance and the management committee members too turned a blind eye towards the ambitious project as they have no alternative to manage the unit. At present, all the biodegradable waste are thrown near the main entrance gate and the plant which is situated hardly a km away is not being utilised, the way it should be.
Covered with huge trees, bushes, shrubs and unconstructed roads leading to towards the vermi compost beds are filled with hard garbage and non-biodegradables without having any trace of earthworms into it. There is virtually no sign of fresh natural materials being bumped and treated scientifically to convert it into green waste. All the paths leading to around four pits are covered with trees and bushes posing great deal of hurdle for the workers over there.
Nevertheless, few members of the managing committee are busy playing broken record. “The unit is being utilised completely for the purpose. After the monsoon, all mandatory arrangement will be made to regularise the system. Moreover, we will also make sure that the unit, which is presently covered with plants and bushes, is removed at earliest before the Shravan kicks off,” said a member of Pahari Mandir Vikash Samiti member requesting anonymity.
Around ten tones of vermi compost were expected to be produced out of the biodegradable waste generated at the temple and an estimated cost of Rs 40,000. The compost is made available at Surbhi Kendra, an undertaking of Department of agriculture, Jharkhand Government, situated at the adjacent of the temple.
The then Ranchi Sadar Sub Divisional Officer (SDO) Ameet Kumar, who was one of the key office bearer in Pahadi Mandir Development Committee, had mooted the plan of making vermi compost out of the temple biodegradable wastes to cater to the requirement of farmers.
A NGO, Vegetable Grower Cooperative Society limited, based in lohardaga which specialises in producing organic fertilizers was assigned the duty of making vermi compost.
For this ambitious project, the committee had signed agreement with the NGOs to disseminate the plan phased manner. The committee formed earlier has left no stone unturned in making the plan successful and convenient. The members too monitored the vermicompost unit earlier and have set the time for the NGOs to collect the compost for distribution among the interested farmers including plant nursery owners and horticulture owners.