JAMMU, Mar 17: On the directions of Governor N.N. Vohra, a meeting was convened by Mr. B.B. Vyas, Financial Commissioner Planning and Development Department, to urgently review all existing and arising problems relating to Solid Waste Management (SWM) of Srinagar City. After the exhaustive review done by Mr. Vyas he discussed the entire matter with the Governor today when the following decisions were taken to address sanitation and waste management issues in Srinagar, based on the former’s recommendations:
(i) The immediate measures taken to ensure adequate sanitation in the Srinagar city include Mr Vyas’s direction to SMC to clear 1350 MTs of garbage which had accumulated upto 16 March; (ii) SMC shall clear the balance garbage by 18 March; (iii) Commissioner SMC shall be responsible for taking immediate action, as an interim measure, to cover heaps of solid waste, about 3000 MTs approximately, spread over 150 kanals of land, with plastic sheets to address the issue of foul smell; (iv) Commissioner SMC shall take immediate action to ensure proper utilization of the cycles (funded under ADB Project) for collection of garbage from within narrow streets; (v) Commissioner SMC shall take immediate action to enlarge the pilot project undertaken by CHINTAN for the segregation of wastes at source-points of collection from the existing 2 to 10 wards; (vi) D.C., Srinagar, shall take immediate action to remove all encroachments and illegal constructions which have come up around the Achan land fill site; (vii) ERA shall support the efforts for speeding up garbage dumping and leachate removal arrangements at Cell-II in Achan. To enable additional dumping of about 30,000 MTs, Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir shall ensure availability to ERA of adequate quantity of earth from the nearest possible source(s).
Mr. Vyas informed the Governor that Commissioner SMC has been directed to: (a) procure a mechanical segregator, for which Rs. 1.82 crore had been released by Housing & Urban Development Department in January, 2016; (b) ensure proper arrangements of leachate treatment at Achan in coordination with ERA; (c) take urgent action to double the existing capacity leachate treatment facility (set up by ERA) from 5 MTs to 10 Mts within 90 days, by 20 June 2016, under State Government funding support.
Housing & Urban Development Department has already made available Rs. 20.69 crore to SMC for creation of ancillary facilities to pave the way for installation of a mechanical segregator for which about 900 kanals of land is also available. SMC shall ensure that all these facilities are put in place by 30th June 2016.
Among the longer term measures: it was decided to significantly expand the Land Fill capacities/ facilities, for which the Divisional Commissioner Kashmir shall identify additional Land-Fill sites for meeting the future requirements for waste disposal. The Divisional Commissioner Kashmir has been directed to identify viable sites for locating such facilities; at least two each in North and South Kashmir. This shall be done in consultation with all the concerned authorities. Also, time-bound steps shall be taken for setting up an effective “waste to energy” conversion facility at Achan and/or other proposed land-fill sites and a decision in this regard will be processed within the next 100 days.
The Governor has directed that the aforesaid Action Plan shall be closely monitored by FC (P&D), to ensure that there is no slippage whatsoever in the timelines, and fortnightly progress reports sent by him to the Governor.
Spokesperson of Raj Bhavan stated that, separately, the Governor has directed Mr. Vyas to hold an immediate enquiry to establish responsibility for the failure to procure a segregator when the required funds were released on 29 January 2016. This report shall be finalized by 5 April 2016.
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