Panchkula MC to set up garbage sorting unit at Alipur village

After years of protests and demonstrations, residents of the areas adjoining the Jhuriwala dumping ground will be able to breathe clean air as the Municipal Corporation is planning to set up a material recovery facility (MRF) on 3.5 acres at Alipur village, 18 km from the city.

The garbage generated in Panchkula city will be segregated at the centre and later transported to different plants for processing. With the implementation of the project, the MC aims to clear the Jhuriwala dumping ground.

The Rs 2.47 crore project will include 800 compost pits, a drainage system, segregation points, leachete treatment unit, sheds and a boundary wall among other facilities.

MC officials said they aimed to complete the project by March next year.

Officials said the MC had already approved the rate of a tender for the project. They said they would not have any landfills at the site. “We will ensure that the waste brought to the MRF centre is segregated and lifted within 28 days. While the wet waste currently goes to Patvi for processing, the dry waste is sent to cement plants, co-processing plants and paper mills,” said an official privy to the matter. The matter was discussed in a meeting of the Finance and Contracts Committee of the civic body held on November 11. It was one of the major election issue during the recent Assembly polls. MC Joint Commissioner Simranjeet Kaur could not be reached for a comment despite repeated attempts.

Relief for residents of Sectors 23-25

The MC had told the NGT that the Jhuriwala dump had 90,837 MT of legacy waste and the Sector 23 dumping ground 3,04,645 MT when it started bioremediation plants at the two sites.

With tonnes of waste dumped at the sites, the residents of Sectors 23, 24, 25 and others have to bear with extremely foul smell.