THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Garbage disposal issues have plagued the capital ever since the closure of the centralised waste treatment plant at Vilappilsala. Though the state government has come up with the proposal to set up a waste-to-energy plant in the capital, nothing has taken place.
The Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation (KSIDC), the agency roped in by the state government to implement the project, has landed in a fix as the project hasn’t made any progress. In the budget, the KSIDC is expecting a fund allocation for the implementation of various waste-to-energy projects in the state.
According to sources, the project is in limbo because the state government is yet to identify and hand over suitable land for it in the capital. Currently, the city corporation is managing daily heaps of waste in a decentralised manner. However, the residents continue to demand a permanent solution. The KSIDC planned to implement the Integrated Solid Waste Management Project with waste-to-energy plant at Vizhinjam. However, the Port Department is yet to hand over the land to KSIDC to launch the project.
The plan was to use the power generated from the waste plant to operate the upcoming Vizhinjam Port.
An official associated with the project said that the state government should find suitable land for implementing the project.
“We are expecting an allocation for the implementation of waste-to-energy plants in the state. In Thiruvananthapuram, we cannot go for a tender without getting the land for setting up the plant,” said the official. The company taking up the project will have to set up the plant under Design, Build, Finance, Operate and Transfer (DBFOT) basis at Vizhinjam under the PPP model.
The integrated waste management project is for the Thiruvananthapuram cluster which covers corporation, Attingal, Nedumangadu, Neyyattinkara and Varkala municipalities and Venganoor, Kalliyoor, Balaramapuram, Parassala and Poovar panchayats.