GHAZIABAD: Days after UP chief minister sought a report on delayed projects of over Rs 10 crore in Ghaziabad, the Loni Nagar Palika has expedited work on a solid waste management plant in the area. The project was stuck because of paucity of funds. But TOI has learnt that the funds issue has been sorted and directions given by the state government to complete the project by September 15.
The estimated cost of the project is Rs 17.3 crore, of which Rs 14.8 crore has been released. The plant will be able to treat 276 metric tonnes (MT) of daily waste, crucial for ending Loni’s civic problem woes.
“Loni has a population of over 11 lakh and it generates roughly about 300 MT of waste daily. A good fraction of waste finds way into landfill sites while a small quantity is segregated,” said KK Bhadana, CEO of the Loni Nagar Palika.
In 2009, the waste management plant in Loni was approved by the state government and a sum of Rs Rs 11.81 crore was approved for the project. But the delay in execution of the project led to an escalation of cost which is now Rs 17.28 crore, officials said.
“The UP Jal Nigam executing the project carried out initial work from Rs 14.83 crore that was released by the state government, but it got stalled due to a delay in the release of the remaining amount. Now, the state government has assured that it will release the funds shortly and has set a September 15 deadline for the completion of the project,” Bhadana said.
Loni is one of the most polluted areas in the country as the air quality index (AQI) invariably here is always on the higher side as compared to other parts of Ghaziabad.
Loni’s performance in Swachh Survekshan over the years has also been dismal. The solid waste management plant in Loni was conceived to improve the civic conditions as well to address the causes of pollution.
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