Reiterating her stance, Mayor K Chandrika has said that the concession agreement for the Integrated Municipal Solid Waste to Energy Plant at Chalai will be signed only after the detrimental clauses included in it are removed. Responding to the remark of Urban Affairs Minister Manjalamkuzhi Ali that the lack of a nod from the civic body was the roadblock to set up the plant at Chalai, she said that it was up to the Local Self-Government Department (LSGD) to give a final word on the matter.
“If the City Corporation signs the agreement and then withdraws, a huge sum has to be given as cash compensation to the company setting up the plant. So, let the LSGD discuss and provide us a clarity on it,” said Chandrika.
Also, the ownership transfer of the TRIDA land is not done till date. In a meeting held at the State Planning Board in April this year, while discussing the flaws in the concession agreement for setting up the plant, this fact had been pointed out.
While it is claimed that the proposed plant would process 35 tonnes of garbage per day, resulting in the generation of 3.2 mega watts of electricity by gasification process, it has not been made clear how the electricity is going to be utilised, raising another question.
In the meeting, it had been pointed out that Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) would pay Rs 4 per unit for purchasing power, whereas, it is buying power at higher tariff from others like NTPC. Even though a review meeting was planned after this meeting in May, that was not held.
Meanwhile, the promise to set up mini plants in constituencies did not proceed much further other than the identification of land after the initial all-party discussion. In places where biogas plants have been set up, the City Corporation has engaged Kudumbashree Cleanwell workers, who were left jobless following the closure of the centralised waste treatment plant at Vilappilsala, to collect degradable waste from households in those areas.