Chandigarh, December 24, 2024: The Chandigarh Municipal Corporation (MC) has sanctioned two significant projects to bolster waste management infrastructure in the city. These include the establishment of a horticulture waste processing plant in Industrial Area Phase-2 and a sewerage treatment plant (STP) for Faidan village, with a combined allocation of ₹11 crore.
The horticulture waste processing plant, with a proposed capacity of 60 tonnes per day (TPD) and a budget of ₹4 crore, will leverage biofuel briquetting technology to process residual garden waste and dry leaves.
Currently, 12 TPD of horticulture waste is processed at the existing facility, while 32 TPD is handled across 104 compost pits located in parks. “This plant will turn unused waste into biofuel bricks through a meticulous process of segregation, dust screening, grinding, drying, and compaction,” shared an official.
A separate project to construct an STP for Faidan village has been approved at a cost of ₹7 crore. Faidan, situated near the Chandigarh-Punjab border, currently discharges untreated wastewater into N-choe, which eventually contaminates the Ghaggar River.
The new STP will bridge the treatment gap in compliance with National Green Tribunal (NGT) guidelines, although MC is awaiting the transfer of land from the Chandigarh administration to proceed.
Mayor Kuldeep Kumar Dhalor, addressing the meeting, reflected on his tenure as mayor, expressing gratitude to councillors and officers for their cooperation.
“This might be my last house meeting. I thank everyone for standing with me throughout this journey,” he said. Dhalor assumed office on February 20, 2024, after a Supreme Court mandate, but AAP may advocate for a one-year tenure extension, potentially delaying mayoral elections to February.
Separately, AAP and Congress councillors protested against the administration’s power privatization move, calling it a threat to affordable electricity.
“This decision will cause electricity rates to rise significantly, affecting the public,” said a councillor. Notably, BJP councillors refrained from supporting the protest, despite promises in AAP-Congress manifestos of free electricity for the city.
