SHILLONG, MAR 22: Urban Affairs Minister Hamletson Dohling today said a new task force committee has been constituted to identify an alternative and suitable site for developing a long term processing and disposal facilities.
Replying in the Assembly on Thursday, Dohling said, “The government is serious and has been doing its work to find an alternative site for which a task force committee has been constituted but we are yet to get the site up till now.”
When asked on the status of the Umsawli site under the New Shillong Township, he said that 54 acre plot of land at Umsawli was identified as the long term processing and disposal site but the same could not be finalised due to public objections.
He said that the department has been on the look-out for new solid waste processing and disposal site since Marten, located at Mawlai area, which was in use from 1938 is reaching a saturation state.
As per the loan agreement between the government and ADB, the state government is obliged to identify, notify land acquisition and transfer a long term sanitary landfill site before award of contract for the 1st Phase Sanitary Landfill at Marten.
The ADB has earlier agreed to fund the development of a long term processing facility and sanitary landfill for the city provided land is readily available.
He said a DPR for development of a sanitary landfill was prepared for the land at Umsawli which was already in possession of the department and which comply with the norms under the Solid Wast Management (SWM) Rules, 2016.
According to the minister, the environmental clearance for the project was also applied from the Ministry of Environment and Forest (MOEF) and a public hearing on the same was conducted by MSPCB on September 3, 2013.
“Several objections were obtained with some genuine concerns like contamination of ground water and air pollution in which the department and project office were asked to address these concerns,” he said.
Dohling said the Environment Impact Assessment and Environment Management Plan were reviewed and resubmitted to the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority.
“Since a considerable amount of time has elapsed in obtaining environmental clearance, the funding by ADB on the long term sanitary landfill could not be finalised,” he said adding therefore the idea of developing the disposal facilities at Umsawli slowed down.
Further, the minister also informed the government has decided to instead develop the site at Umsawli as a tourist resort as a facility from tourism perspective after a joint inspection conducted by the then chief minister Mukul Sangma on August 17, 2017.
“As a follow up to this inspection report a decision to handover the site to tourism department was taken by the NSTDA committee chaired by the chief secretary on October 20, 2016 and November 21, 2016,” he said.
Earlier, members of the opposition including Process T Sawkmie and Zenith Sangma have urged the government to shift the present sanitary landfill at Marten to other suitable location.
Meanwhile highlighting on the ongoing projects to improve the existing landfill at Marten, the urban affairs minister also informed that a new compost plant in place of the old one is being constructed under the ADB-MoUD assisted NERCCDIP at a cost of Rs 15.79 crore.
“The work is in progress and estimated time of completion is January 2019,” he said while adding that development of a sanitary landfill at the same site is also being taken up over an area of 15,000 sq meters at an estimated cost of about Rs 27.09 crores.
He said the phase-I of the work over an area of 6500 sq.m was completed and commissioned on October 2, last year adding that the same is being used at present for non-degradable waste.
Informing that phase 2 which cost Rs 19.33 crore is in progress, Dohling said about 55 per cent is completed and schedule for completion is on December next year.
The sanitary landfill works also consists development of landfill, retaining wall (about 12.5 crores) and boundary wall including cattle proof fencing.
By Our Reporter
+ There are no comments
Add yours