Will set up composting plant, says state govt HQ

Mumbai: After being pulled by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) for not taking measures to carry out waste management, Mantralaya — the state government’s headquarters — has assured to set up a waste composting plant on its premises at the earliest. It has also asked the BMC to waive off the fine of  Rs 10,000 imposed by the civic body for failing to implement waste management.

The BMC had slapped a fine of Rs 10,000 on Mantralaya for not responding to its earlier notices regarding waste segregation and composting. It was pulled by BMC for not segregating and treating waste on their own premises.

In a reply sent to the BMC’s notice, the Mantralaya officials have said that wet and dry waste is stored separately in the state government’s headquarters. The wet waste is produced in large number from the canteen in Mantralaya, and it is transported by the BMC vehicles. However, a waste composting plant will soon be set up to dispose of the wet waste, the reply said. The BMC had taken a decision to stop collecting the waste from bulk waste generators like hotels, societies, hospitals, which generates 100kg of waste daily from October 2. But there was an uproar by corporators which forced the civic body to extends its deadline by three months. Now, the civic body has given a new deadline of January 3.

Of the 3,376 bulk waste generators, who have been issued notices, 120 have been slapped with MRTP notices, while action has been taken against 222 societies under the Environment Protection Act.