Dhapa extension hits green hurdle

KOLKATA: The second Dhapa project, which was planned by the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) as an alternative to the existing dhapa dumping ground off EM Bypass, has hit a hurdle.
The National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA) officials, after going through the detail project report, have refused to give it a nod saying that it was falling within the East Kolkata Wetlands area.The NGRBA officials have recently held a meeting with the KMC officials and expressed their views.
Interestingly, the project spread over 140 acres, was approved by the East Kolkata Management Authority (EKWMA) and the state environment department. After the new KMC board was formed in 2010, a plan was chalked out by the civic authorities to extend the planning area of Dhapa. Accordingly, a Rs 265-crore project was hatched. The total project area was fixed at 52.5 hectares, which is equivalent to about 140 acres. The project plan was even approved by the East Kolkata Wetland Management Authority (EKWMA) and the environment department.
The project plan was also sent to the Ramsar authorities in New Delhi. Senior officials of NGRBA recently came and held a meeting with KMC and other municipality officials, where they have verbally informed that they could not give permission for the project, as it was falling within the east Kolkata wetlands area.
The NGRBA officials also said that the international environment bodies could also object to the project.
Meanwhile, a new plot has been identified at Thakurpukur, where the KMC plans to set up an alternative dumping ground. But the land is yet to be acquired from the plan seems to be uncertain since the civic authorities are yet to acquire the land from
local farmers. Also, this area lacks civic infrastructure, as it does not have any approaching road to the project site.
MMIC (solid waste management) Debabrata Majumder said that the civic authorities have appealed to the NGRBA after getting nod from both the EKWMA and environment department for the Dhapa extension project. "We are hopeful to get the permission. If we do not get their nod, then we will shift the project to Thakurpukur," he said, adding that the KMC would construct a road from Diamond Harbour Road to the proposed site.
NGRBA authorities have also criticized the KMC for not segregating the door-to-door solid waste collection properly. The project is going on in seven wards, all added areas, of KMC. The NGRBA officials have informed that following a Supreme Court order, the bio degradable waste has to be separated before dumping it.
KMC chief engineer of solid waste management department Arun Kumar Sarkar claimed that most of the segregation takes place in natural process. The civic body spends Rs 3.5 lakh per ward per month for this segregation process, so it will require about Rs 4 to 5 crore to implement the project throughout the city.
The existing site at Dhapa covers 17 acres. Officials said that it would only take an year and half for the dumping site to get fully exhausted, as 3,500 metric tonnes of solid waste is being dumped now at the site daily and the quantity is rising.
Following this, KMC has started to chalk out a new plan for the project. After survey, the civic authorities have initially planned that the project could be set up at Thakurpukur where there is a huge vacant land lying unused. However, the land has to be acquired first.