BHUBANESWAR: Green waste generated by Srimandir will soon be used for producing organic compost and biogas. The Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) is setting up a plant to process the waste at Malatipatpur on the outskirts of Puri with support from Power Grid Corporation of India Limited and OBCC.
While the compost will be used in the three massive gardens of the shrine that supply flowers and ‘tulasi’ for the Trinity and other deities, the biogas will be used for running the plant, said temple chief administrator Arabinda Padhee.
The project, Padhee said, was initiated to stop mixing of the sacred waste of the shrine with the regular garbage generated by the city. “The flowers, tulasi and other waste of the shrine was collected by Puri Municipality along with the city waste and dumped at Baliapanda, which was inappropriate,” he said.
On a normal day, the shrine generates close to three tonnes of green waste which includes flowers, ‘tulasi’, Ananda Bazaar and Mahaprasad leftovers. While the Rosaghara wastage, which includes vegetable and fruit scraps, is around 15 quintals, Ananda Bazaar generates five quintals of Mahaprasad leftover and the leaf waste is eight quintals per day. Similarly, ‘tulasi’ and flower waste is around one quintal and other organic waste is also a quintal. On festive occasions like Kartika Purnima, the waste goes up to four tonnes.
Padhee said that the waste will be segregated and systematically collected at the shrine and brought to the Malatipatpur plant where they will be treated to generate chemical-free compost and biogas. The compost will be used to fertilise the Nilachala Upabana, Koili Baikuntha and the plants grown around the Parikrama. “The biogas will be used for running the plant in case of surplus production, we plan to sell it to discoms,” he added.
The SJTA has also set up two garbage chutes in the north (near Ananda Bazaar) and south side of the shrine through which the segregated garbage will be directly dumped into the vehicles outside the Meghanad Prachir. Construction of the plant, which is nearing completion, is being carried out by a Surat-based company at an expenditure of Rs 4 crore. It is expected to be made operational before Akshaya Tritiya this year.