Kullu: Tender awarded for 58K-tonne biomedical waste removal

Our Correspondent

Kullu, September 14

About 18,000 tonnes of waste generated from the biomedical incinerator plant in Pirdi, between Kullu and Bhuntar towns, and 40,000 tonnes from the Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) plant at Rangri, Manali, will be removed.

BR Negi, Executive Officer (EO), Kullu Municipal Committee, said tenders had been awarded by the Directorate of Urban Development to a private company to transfer the waste to the Ultra Tech Cement at Baga in Solan.

The EO said the agreement had been made with the company and the work would start soon. He said the civic body had sought a grant from the Urban Development Department and the administration to remove the waste. The budget had been provided by the directorate, the EO said. He said the departmental formalities for lifting the garbage had been completed.

On June 19, 2017, the National Green Tribunal had ordered the Kullu Municipal Committee to shift the Pirdi dump yard, located adjacent to the Beas. Dumping of garbage at the yard was stopped after January 2, 2019, following protests by residents. However, the Municipal Committee could not remove the waste, and huge heaps can be seen at the site in Pirdi. The NGT and the HP Pollution Control Board brought the matter into the notice of the Municipal Committee, but it could not take it up due to lack of budget.

Residents of Pirdi and Mohal have been demanding to develop the place as a garden.