THANJAVUR: The establishment of an eco park after bio-capping the accumulated solid waste in the dump yard in Thanjavur under the City Investments to Innovate, Integrate and Sustain (CITIIS 2.0) programme gathered momentum following the recent visit of a team of experts deputed by the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA).
“A team from Tata Consulting Engineers Limited (TCE), which has been entrusted with preparing the master plan for the projects promoting a circular economy -- with focus on integrated waste management -- in all the 18 cities selected under CITIIS 2.0, visited Thanjavur last week and held consultations,” an official told TNIE.
The officials added that component plans, including bio-capping of the more than 2 lakh cubic metres of legacy solid waste accumulated in the compost yard (garbage dump) of the corporation at Chekkadi, establishing a waste processing facility (WPF) to process non-gradable waste, and the installation of a refuse-derived fuel (RDF) unit that would make the combustible components of the waste into fuel, are ready.
TCE might give their suggestions which will also be integrated into the plans. After this, the Union ministry will give the nod and eventually release funds, officials added. When contacted Mayor S Ramanathan said once the MoHUA gives its nod, detailed projects reports (DPRs) will be prepared and further steps will be taken to implement the project.
It may be noted that Thanjavur is one of the 18 cities in the country selected through a competitive process for implementation of CITIIS 2.0. Under the programme, the Thanjavur corporation will receive a grant of Rs 135 crore for waste management and climate action. Besides the grant, another Rs 30 crore in funds is expected from other avenues, including the state government.