KOCHI: The proposal to set up a bio-CNG waste treatment plant to treat 150 tonnes of waste per day at Brahmapuram in Kochi received cabinet approval on Wednesday. The project -- proposed by the Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) -- was approved during a cabinet meeting held in Thalassery during the government’s statewide outreach programme, Nava Kerala Sadas.
The work on the Rs 150-crore plant is expected to begin in January 2024, with the construction planned to be completed within 15 months. The plant will come up on 10 acres owned by the Kochi corporation at Brahmapuram. The corporation will hand over the land to BPCL to set up the plant.
As per the proposal, compressed biogas generated from the plant will be used by BPCL and the company will bear the entire construction cost. The Kochi corporation will offer electricity and water for the construction of the plant at reduced rates.
The biofertilisers generated at the plant will be distributed among farmers. While wastewater will be released after treatment inside the plant, non-degradable waste will be taken over by the state-run Clean Kerala Company. The BPCL plant will solve the biowaste management issue in Kochi corporation, which has a population of 7 lakh and over 1.6 lakh houses.
The cabinet also approved a proposal to grant the 11th salary revision to part-time and contingent employees of the state cooperative union. The posts of deputy general manager and computer assistant grade 2 were approved too.
BPCL TO BEAR COST