Kozhikode: Project to produce power from waste a non-starter
Many business groups have expressed willingness to take over the project.
Kozhikode: The municipal corporation has failed to launch the 'power from waste' project this financial year due to the delay in processing the necessary documents and getting the green signal from the state cabinet. The corporation has already handed over 15 acres of land at Njeliyanparamba to the Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation (KSIDC), the nodal agency, for the Rs 200- crore project.
Earlier, Mayor Thottathil Raveendran had announced that the corporation had already floated the Expression of Interest and that the other modalities would be fine-tuned before August 31.
Many business groups have expressed willingness to take over the project. There is no need to segregate the waste and the waste collection also would be taken care of by the company. The waste bins would be placed at every 200 metres.
Corporation standing committee (development) chairperson P.C. Rajan told DC that as the election code of conduct was in force, the cabinet will not clear the project for the time being. "Its nitty-gritty has been finalised and the cabinet has to give the final nod," he said.
The project was earlier envisaged in 2017 but failed to take off due to financial bottlenecks as the corporation itself was the investor. As per the plan prepared by the corporation health department, out of the total 300 tonnes of waste generated in the corporation limit, only 60 to 80 tonnes of waste goes to the treatment plant at Njeliyanparamba. Of the remaining waste, 100 to 120 tonnes is processed at the source or sent for recycling and 100 to 140 tonnes are thrown to open spaces.
Moreover, the non-biodegradable waste that cannot be recycled is also heaped on the premises of the treatment plant. The wastes include thermocol, sponge, plastic, rexin synthetic fabric, rubber etc. According to a rough estimate, about 125 tonnes of waste is accumulated every day under the corporation limits.
The waste would be converted into energy through gasification to produce 100 megawatt power every day. The earlier project also envisaged to generate a revenue of Rs 18 crore by selling power.