‘Smart City’ in making, Jammu has no solid waste management plant

JAMMU: Picked by the Centre as a smart city in making, the winter capital city of Jammu has yet to develop a solid waste treatment plant.

As of now, the Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) has only been dumping the city’s waste at different places away from residential areas but the solid waste is not treated in “a scientific way as per the directions of national Green Tribunal (NGT) and in accordance with the guidelines laid down for a Smart City,” official sources informed The News Now.

The solid waste must be treated in a scientific way to avoid health hazards and for healthy environment. The JMC first identified the site for setting up Solid Waste Treatment Plant at Bhgawati Nagar but due to stiff opposition from the locals, the plan was shelved despite spending crores, sources informed.

The JMC, then, identified a site at Kot Bhalwal for setting up Solid Waste Treatment Plant to treat city’s solid waste in a scientific way.

However, the proposal is still to move beyond papers as ground work in any form is yet to be started there to treat the solid waste in a scientific way, official sources informed.

The JMC floated tenders at least five times but due to less number of bidders as per the minimum requirement a couple times and some other technical issues, the matter was referred to State Level Contract Committee (SLCC) around 4 months back, sources informed.

They said that SLCC is yet to take call despite repeated reminders. “The ground work on Solid Waste Management and Treatment Plant can only be started once the SLCC gives its nod,” Municipal Veterinary Officer (MVO), Dr Zaffar told The News Now, when contacted.

Meanwhile, sources informed that on the directions of NGT, the “JMC has identified 5 sites in different areas, mostly in city outskirts, like Bandhu Rakh and others, to dump and treat the solid waste”.

The sites have been identified but it will still take atleast 6 months before the process for the treatment of solid waste is started at these sites, sources informed.

However, sadly, they said, “The Solid Waste will be segregated and treated at these sites but that will not be in a scientific way as per the guidelines laid down under the Smart City project and in accordance with NGT directions”.

As per a future projection study conducted by the government, by 2031, it is estimated that the city will cover an area of 530 sq km and improper waste management will make people prone to diseases.

Till 2003, the city was having an area of just 32 sq km and in 2003 the government approved the city limits to 112 sq km. The old city, comprising of 23 wards, was divided into 48 wards and 23 new wards were added, thus raising the total number of wards to 71.

Later, the JMC limits were further extended and there are now 75 wards within the limits of JMC.
Updated On 7/13/2019 11:44:09 AM

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