Proposed waste-to-charcoal plant faces Faridabad villagers’ backlash

Bijendra Ahlawat

Tribune News Service

Faridabad, August 7

Opposition by the villagers and the upcoming state Assembly polls have posed a hurdle to the progress of the proposed first waste-to-charcoal plant in the districtrict.

Saying that no plant likely to cause air pollution will be allowed near the villages of Mothuka and Arua in the districtrict, local residents and panchayats have submitted a memorandum to both the MP and the MLA of the segment concerned.

Last month, the project to set up two such plants in Faridabad and Gurugram was announced, and the civic authorities also identified 20 acres near Mothuka village for the project. However, the announcement regarding the land selection has met with severe opposition from residents of several villages, including Mothuka.

Mothuka sarpanch Mohan Bansal said establishing such a plant in this village was wrong and unjustified, noting that around 150 acres here had been acquired for setting up a power generation plant about 20 years ago, with the condition that it could not be used for other purposes. He added that since the proposed plant is likely to become a source of pollution, the residents are upset because they were not consulted before the decision was made.

Suraj Pal Bhura, sarpanch of Chandpur village and president of the Sarpanch Association of the districtrict, claimed that the gram panchayats and residents of at least 20 villages within a 10-km radius of the proposed site opposed the project and would launch an agitation if their demand to drop it was not met. He said a delegation of sarpanches and panches from villages, including Mothuka, Arua, Nangla, Atali, Dayalpur, Bukharpur, Chandpur, Dalelgarh, Raipur Kalan, Chhainsa, and Sahupura met MP Krishan Pal Gurjar and Nayan Pal Rawat, MLA from the Prithla Assembly segment, and were assured that no such project would be set up there.

An MoU was signed between NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam Limited (NVVNL), a wholly owned subsidiary of NTPC Limited, and the Municipal Corporations of Gurugram and Faridabad in the presence of Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini and Minister of State for Urban Local Bodies Subhash Sudha on July 21. Costing Rs 500 crore each, these plants were expected to become operational in about 30 months.

Ombir Singh, Superintending Engineer, Municipal Corporation Faridabad, said while there is no update from the authorities concerned regarding the acquisition of the land for the plant, it is likely to be done after the Assembly elections.

Project announced last month

• The project to set up two waste-to-charcoal plants in Faridabad and Gurugram was announced last month.
• The civic authorities identified 20 acres near Mothuka village for the project.
• The announcement regarding the land selection has met with severe opposition from residents of several villages, including Mothuka.