With the trial run of the mobile incinerator ending on Tuesday, the Suchitwa Mission handed over the contract of operations to Gujarat-based Chintan Sales.
Chintan Sales, which supplied the mobile incinerator, will be in charge of operations for the next two years.
The incinerator, which was undergoing trial run, will begin full-fledged operation in the coming days. “There will be no major change as the incinerator was disposing of accumulated waste during the trial period,” said George Chackacherry, executive director, Suchitwa Mission. He said requests were pouring in from various wards in the city as well as from private hoteliers to dispose of waste.
“The government is looking into such proposals,” he added. The authorities have not decided on the possible locations to operate the incinerator. Currently, it is parked at Fort.
Meanwhile, the mobile incinerator is yet to get the nod of the Pollution Control Board to start its functioning. However, Suchitwa Mission officials said that it was only a procedural delay.
Conceived as a solution for temporary waste management, the mobile incinerator was introduced in the city a month ago. Waste management became a volatile issue following the Vilappilsala agitation. The alternative methods such as disposing of waste in abandoned quarries failed to take off owing to public protest.
The mobile incinerator, which can dispose of 500 kg-1 tonne of waste per hour, consumes 40-80 litres of diesel per hour. Recently, a technical committee appointed by the government had submitted a report on the working of the incinerator.