Mayor Ravi Kant Sharma has assured that the work to upgrade the plant would start before the MC polls in December.
With the code of conduct for Chandigarh municipal corporation (MC) election set to be imposed mid-November and Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Ropar to submit the detailed project report (DPR) and request for proposal (RFP) for plant upgrade only in September, the tendering process is unlikely to be completed in the next six months.
The allotment of tenders will be finalised only after the new MC General House is constituted, which is January 2022.
MC commissioner KK Yadav said, “IIT Ropar will submit the DPR and RFP in September. This is likely to be tabled before the MC General House in September-end for its approval. The floating of tender and inviting firms for upgrade is likely to take another month.”
The process will still be in works when the code of conduct for the MC election comes in force in November for the polls to be held in December.
Notably, IIT Ropar has sought three months for the preparation of DPR and RFP.
The MC General House had on July 29 decided to allot the contract for preparation of the twin documents to IIT Ropar.
Earlier, the MC had sought quotations from Punjab Engineering College (PEC), Chandigarh, IIT Ropar, and Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology, Patiala.
Thapar university didn’t participate, but PEC and IIT submitted their quotations. The MC opted for IIT Ropar’s bid as it was lower than PEC’s.
Setback for BJP?
The city produces 550 to 600 metric tonnes (MT) of waste daily. Of this, around 200 MT is dry waste, 150 MT is wet (kitchen) waste, 75MT is mixed and 100 to 125 MT is horticulture. However, the plant’s current waste processing capacity is only 70 to 80 MT.
In June last year, the civic body had taken over the plant from Jaypee Group due to its inability to process the waste completely.
But since then, the MC has neither improved the plant’s working nor upgraded the technology and most of the daily waste is still being dumped at the Dadumajra landfill.
The BJP was hoping to project the revamp of the plant as one of its major achievements in the last five years for the MC election due in December.
Mayor Ravi Kant Sharma has repeatedly assured, both within the House and outside, that the work to upgrade the plant would start before the MC election.
“The BJP-ruled MC took over the reins of the plant more than a year ago. But instead of improving it, almost no processing is taking place at the plant now,” said Devinder Singh Babla, Congress councillor and leader of opposition in the MC.
“The garbage is being dumped without getting processed at the Dadumajra ground. The BJP had assured that work on the new plant would start this year. But now, it is unlikely to be the case. People are tired of BJP’s repeated failures to keep its promises. It will be a key election issue,” he added.
Assuring that the work allotment would be done by October, the mayor said, “We have asked IIT Ropar to submit report by September 15. We will immediately call special MC House meeting and by October, would float the tender. By the end of October, the tenders will be alloted.”
https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/chandigarh-news/chandigarhs-wait-for-upgraded-waste-plant-to-get-longer-1629400499244.html