VIJAYAWADA: At a time when the construction sector is hit by shortage of sand, the construction and demolition (C&D) waste plant in Ajith Singh Nagar has proved to be a boon for realtors in and around the city’s vicinity. A private agency named PRO ENVIRONS C&D Waste Management Private Limited has started producing sand from construction waste generated in the city.
To put an end to C&D waste menace, the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC) joined hands with the recycling plant to Build Operate and Transfer (BOT) the waste in compliance with C&D Waste Management Rules, 2016 issued by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate change. Under the initiative, VMC gave the project to the firm in November 2018 on lease for 20 years at an estimated cost of Rs 6 crore. Since then, it has been handling around 75 to 80 tonnes out of the 150 to 200 tons of construction waste generated per day across the 59 divisions of the city.
"The private firm gave a presentation on the benefits of sand manufactured from debris. Some of our builders who were interested in utilising the sand approached the firm and started procuring the commodity at costs lower than the market price," said Confederation of Real Estate Developers Association of India.
Speaking to TNIE on Wednesday, plant in-charge K Manikanta Reddy said presently, the plant receives 80 to 100 tons of C&D waste per day as opposed to the operational capacity of 200 tons daily. "Since April, we are receiving bulk orders from realtors in and around the city due to shortage of sand. Around 25 metric tons of sand is produced each day in the plant and the entire quantity is supplied to realtors. Each ton of sand is sold for Rs 450 while Rs 1,800 is charged for five tons. The same quantity is sold for Rs 8,000 to Rs 10,000 in the market," he said.