Bureaucratic red tape mars waste-to-energy project at Achan

Srinagar, Nov 20: Four years on, installation of ecofriendly waste-to-energy plant at Achan has been stuck in the bureaucratic red tape.

 An official of Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) said Housing and Urban Development Department, Power Development Department and Centec Bio Energy Private are yet to sign the Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) that would have paved the way for setting up waste-to-energy plant.

 “It will take us 18 months to set up waste-to-energy plant once the PPA is signed,” the official said.

In 2015, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) had passed an order for setting up of first of its kind, 5MW waste-to-energy plant in Srinagar. Srinagar Municipal Corporation was made nodal agency to install the plant.  The NGT had also warned of levying Rs 50,000 fine per day of delay.

 “The document is lying with the State Electricity Regulatory Commission (SERC). Since the Commission has been abolished on October 31, the fate of PPA is not known,” said Khurshid Sanai, SMC Commissioner, told The Kashmir Monitor,

SERC has the power to finalise tariff for the electricity which will be generated by waste-to-energy plant.

Sanai said that they are trying hard to complete the paper work for installing the plant.

 “Centec bio-energy private limited is the amalgam of three companies-Highland automobiles private limited, Keystone Energies LLG and Aspex infra private limited, which has been given the contract for its installation,” said Nazir Baba, Solid Waste Management Officer, SMC.

Baba informed that this project is based on Public Private Partnership (PPP) and the investment will be managed by the assigned company.

 “The PPA of waste-to-energy plant will be signed after SERC finalizes the tariff,” said Deeraj Kumar Gupta, Principal Secretary Housing and Urban Department.

Gupta said that SERC will be reconstituted and it will take some time to complete the process.   

Environmentalist, Dr AR Yousuf said the waste-to-energy plant will not only generate 5 MW power but shall make Srinagar garbage free.

“The biodegradable and non-biodegradable wastes will be treated separately. Biodegradable waste will be then converted into compost which will be used as fertilizer while non-biodegradable waste will scientifically get disposed of,” he added.

The plant is to be installed in Srinagar’s land fill site, Achan which is spread over 540 kanals of land. Official data of SMC reveals that the Srinagar city – with a population of 1.4 million – produces between 380 metric tons to 450 metric tons of solid waste every day. About 60 per cent of this is dumped at Achan, a dump yard on the outskirts of Srinagar and 40% includes the debris of the construction material which is used for leveling of low-level areas.