ROURKELA: After a year of indecisiveness largely due to the cost factor, Rourkela Municipal Corporation (RMC) seems to have finally made up its mind to go for installation of sensor-based underground waste bins in view of the upcoming Men’s Hockey World Cup in 2023.
Sources said the RMC is all set to float tender for the project soon with an aim to make it functional in next six months. It has been decided to install smart bins at 30 strategic locations in Rourkela city of which majority will be totally underground and some partly underground. These sensor-equipped waste bins will primarily be installed near large marketplaces and vegetable vending zones of the city.
Each bin having separate compartments for organic and inorganic waste will be placed in a concrete pit. The sensor will send alert once the bin gets filled. A hydraulic waste bin lifting vehicle would transport the garbage directly to the nearby micro composting centre (MCC). The project with five years of operation and maintenance is likely to cost Rs 4-Rs 5 crore.
Under the advanced sanitation management programme launched by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on December 4 last year, the RMC has deployed 44 battery-operated and 15 light commercial vehicles for waste collection from households and other sources to the MCCs. A dedicated service is also functional to collect garbage directly from bulk waste generators.
With an aim to directly transport garbage to MCCs from originating sources, the RMC plans to gradually close all primary dumping sites. In December last year, the RMC had decided to float tender for the installation of 37 sensor-equipped waste bins at primary surface dumping sites where garbage overflowed. However, the decision was put on hold due to the involvement of high cost.
However, eyeing the upcoming mega hockey event, the administration now is not willing to delay the project any longer. RMC Commissioner Dibyajyoti Parida was not immediately available for comment.