Civic Body to make compost out of garbage

BALANGIR: Balangir civic body will finally get the garbage lifted in a scientific manner -- aerobic digestion of solid waste. The scientific method of solid waste management here, which was envisaged four years ago was stopped after opposition from municipal workers.Recently, on the initiative of Balangir municipality and citizen committee, Balangir MP Kalikesh Singhdeo, Planning and Coordination Minister AU Singhdeo and the workers’ leader and administration officials finalised a decision in this regard and decided to try out theproject in collaboration with the Centre for Environment and Cooperation Research and Development (CECRD), which had been roped in by then Urban Development Minister KV Singhdeo.“It was decided at the meeting that sanitation work in 11 wards in the municipal area will be outsourced while the rest 10 will be taken care of by the existing sanitary staff, who feared  retrenchment upon introduction of the project,” said Executive Officer PK Gardia.The collected garbage will be processed in a plant and converted into compost. The compost will then be sold in the market, 50 per cent profit will be retained by CECRD and the rest by the civic body.The project to be taken up in public-private partnership mode would also help people get employment. Of the 300 jobs slated to be created by the municipality under the project, 90 per cent would be for women, said RK Upadhyaya, scientist and retired IIT professor, who is  also the chief project officer of CECRD.