CHENNAI: The contract to clear the garbage in the Pallavaram Periya Eri was awarded last December. But after nearly six months now, the work is yet to begin, much to the disappointment of the locals. So much of garbage was dumped by local bodies on the lake bed for decades that it had formed a huge pile.
Last December a project at the cost of Rs 7.2 crore was launched to clear the accumulated garbage by biomining - a scientific method to dispose the same. However, the contractor who has taken on the project is still in the process of flattening the surface so that the machines could be placed.
“We need a strong surface to place our plant and machinery. As the garbage is dumped on the lake bed, clearing it is bringing out water. We need to put new soil and flatten it,” says Nagesh Prabhu, director of Zigma Global Environ, the firm that was given the contracted by the municipality.
The contractor with the help of the local municipality has created a makeshift road and flattened the surface near the site to place their machinery.
“We have completed 80 per cent of the flattening work. It is a long process as we need to clear the garbage first, then fill it with construction debris. Once we have the necessary land, the biomining will start,” said Prabhu.