JAGATSINGHPUR: The much-needed material recovery facility (MRF) and micro-composting centre (MCC) to process organic waste in the town has gone off-track as the district administration is yet to identify suitable land for the project. Jagatsinghpur Municipality had decided to set up the MRF and micro-composting centre at an estimated cost of Rs 15 lakh last year after failing to go ahead with the solid waste treatment plant at Kantaballavpur due to local protest.
The MRFs are facilities where solid waste can be temporarily stored by the local body to enable segregation, sorting and recovery of various components. The sanitary workers will bring the waste collected door-to-door to the micro-composting units where the waste is segregated as inorganic and organic. Later, the organic waste is shredded and dumped into cubical cement tanks for decomposition.
As per Orissa High Court’s directives, it was mandatory on the part of the civic authorities to set up waste treatment plants under the Municipal Solid Wastes (Management and Handling) Rules, 2000. However, the municipality has failed to comply with the provisions.
Sources said the town has 21 wards with 40,000 population generates 22 tonne of waste monthly. In the absence of a scientific garbage disposal system, residents dump their waste in drains and along the roads.
A two km-stretch of Machgaon sub-canal from Dusnumber to Purohitpur and an isolated place near College Chowk have turned into a garbage dumping ground. Clogged drains and accumulated waste have created an unhygienic atmosphere and a breeding ground for mosquitoes.
Last year, the civic body had decided to set up a solid waste treatment plant over five acres of land at Kantaballavpur at a cost of `20 lakh to take care of the town’s waste. But villagers of Kantballavpur opposed the move and stopped boundary wall construction work of the plant over pollution. Following which, the municipality decided to construct a MRF and a MCC, said former councilor Rabi Das.
Meanwhile, development work in the town has been affected due to non-recovery of more than `50 lakh of holding tax. Executive Officer of the municipality Baladev Behera said though the Revenue department has provided 2.7 acre land at Sipi for the MRF and MCC, it is not suitable as the area remains waterlogged throughout the year. Notices have been issued to holding tax defaulters, he added.