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Waste unit: Aurangabad civic body, MSEDCL indulge in blame game

AURANGABAD: The city's first 150 tonne capacity waste processing unit at Chikalthana is yet to function to its full potential.


The Aurangabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) says that frequent outages affected the productivity, whereas the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Ltd (MSEDCL) says that the supply is uninterrupted.



In a significant development for the city's solid waste management, the AMC commissioned the waste processing unit at Chikalthana on June 17. According to Mohiuddin Kazi, an executive engineer, the plant can process 150 tonne of waste in an eight hour shift. With double shifts, the capacity can increase.

"The MSEDCL widely publicized that it has provided us with a power connection. However, it is a rural power supply connection. As a result, the processing agency has to bear with one to two hours of power outage daily. This hampers the work as these big machines take some time to turn on," said Kazi.

Kazi also claimed that the site is receiving 200 tonne of waste a day and the first batch of compost will be ready in a month.

Nandkishore Bhombe, the head of the AMC's solid waste management cell said the civic body has deposited money to the MSEDCL for the installation of an express feeder for the waste processing unit.

Suresh Ganeshkar , the MSEDCL chief engineer said that the company had provided power supply to the waste processing unit on a priority basis.

"The connection provided to the unit is from 11 KV GPL Feeder (urban). This line has 60 amp of load. The supply is uninterrupted and we are confident of the voltage. The work of installing an express feeder for the unit is also underway. In 15 days to a month, the feeder will be installed, after which the Chikalthana unit will be the only consumer," said Ganeshkar.

"Due to its inability to run the plant properly, the AMC is shifting the blame to the MSEDCL. We have showed the municipal commissioner the voltage that we are providing through the existing connection. Anyway, in another few days, the AMC will get the express feeder as well," said Kazi

A large amount of mixed waste can be seen lying in the processing shade with its leachate spread all over.

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