TIRUCHY: Amid concerns over the prospects of the city getting a plant generating electricity from non-recycleable waste after it found no mention in the 2025-26 corporation budget, Mayor Mu Anbalagan clarified that the plan is still on and said that a proposal for the same was recently sent to the state government for approval.
"We are trying to provide the best solution for improving waste management. The allocation to establish a compressed natural gas (CNG) plant and a materials recovery facility (MRF) was made in the 2024-25 budget. The waste-to-energy plant is planned on corporation-owned land in Ariyamangalam. Once we receive government approval, we will proceed," he told TNIE.
Sources revealed that the proposed power generation plant in Ariyamangalam would require about five acres of land and “substantial” financial assistance from the state government. The proposal sent to the state government pegs the plant with a minimum capacity of processing 100 tonnes of waste per day costing over Rs 30 crore to establish.
"With Rs 70 crore already being earmarked for the CNG and MRF projects, the corporation is unlikely to take up another major initiative without external funding. Construction work on both the CNG and MRF plants is expected to begin later this year," a reliable source said.
Meanwhile S Ranjithkumar of Ariyamangalam said, "The corporation should be appreciated for introducing advanced recycling technologies. But these plans must be executed in a time-bound manner. The CNG and MRF plants were announced in last year's budget. Many residents assumed they would be operational by now, but work hasn't even started."