Chief Secretary assesses implementation of waste management works

Jammu, Nov 13: Chief Secretary, Atal Dulloo, today chaired a meeting of Housing & Urban Development Department (H&UDD) to take appraisal of the progress made in implementation of Swachh Bharat Mission Urban (SBM-U) 2.0 aiming at scientific disposal of waste and achieving the garbage-free status for all cities in India.

Those who were present include Principal Secretary Finance; Commissioner Secretary H&UDD; Chairman Pollution Control Committee; DG Rural Sanitation; Commissioner SMC/JMC; Director ULB J/K besides other concerned officers.

On this occasion the Chief Secretary impressed upon the Department to take swift decisions regarding implementation of this project here in J&K. He observed that the centrally sponsored schemes are time-bound in nature and therefore deserve efficient implementation on ground for maximizing benefits to common masses.

Dulloo also seized this opportunity to enquire from the Commissioners of the twin Municipal Corporations and Directors of ULBs about the current status of each work envisaged under this scheme. He stressed on ensuring their timely completion and quality outcomes in terms of their functioning at the end.

While looking into the proposed action plans of sanitation and waste management for the municipalities, the Chief Secretary enquired about different components being implemented under SBM 2.0 and the anticipated outcomes. He called for taking more serious efforts to take each to their logical conclusion within the set deadline fixed for this mission.

The Principal Secretary Finance, Santosh D.Vaidya took keen interest in giving his suggestions for better implementation of this mission here in the UT. He took note of the financial progress made so far and the means through which the Department is contemplating to accomplish the works across all the urban areas.

The Commissioner Secretary H&UDD, Mandeep Kaur elucidated the type of components and progress registered by the Department in each of them. She introduced that SBM-U 2.0 was launched in October 2021 with the vision of achieving garbage-free city (GFC) status in all cities in India.

She further added that this mission entails segregation of waste and its 100% door-to-door collection and thereafter its management including safe disposal in scientifically designed landfills.

It was also revealed that the ULBs had to prepare city sanitation action plans (CSAPs) and city solid waste action plans (CSWAPs) for submitting them to MOHUA in the form of a state action plan for their funding.

The meeting took appraisal of the measures made for scientific disposal of Solid Waste Management including material recovery facilities, transfer stations, waste processing facilities, remediation of legacy waste dumpsites, and scientific landfilling in different municipalities of J&K.

Regarding the achievements made so far it was given out that the work on 350 TPD waste processing plant for JMC is under progress through NAFED at Kot Bhalwal is slated to be completed by March, 2025 with another 138 TPD project being vetted by IIT Jammu.

As far as the CSWAP for Srinagar is concerned, the meeting took appraisal of the revised plan estimated at a cost of Rs. 212.67 Cr including components for Dry waste facility, wet waste facility and legacy waste treatment.

The meeting was further apprised that for Solid Waste Management (SWM) in J&K, 78 MRFs and waste to compost plants with a cumulative capacity of 454 TPD and 611.5 TPD had been approved along with 2 Bio-gas plants of 225 TPD for Jammu as well.

As far as the Used Water Management (UWM) is concerned it was divulged that STPs having installed capacity of 71 MLD are functional in Jammu producing a sewerage of around 86 MLD at the rate of 108 litres per capita per day.

Similarly, in Srinagar STPs of the capacity of 61.99 MLD constructed by SMC/LCMA are functional currently with the gap to be covered by 2028. STPs of capacity 13.6 MLD and 6 MLD had also been made functional by ULBs of Jammu and Kashmir divisions in some of its municipalities with more under progress.