Coimbatore : Though cleanliness and lack of citizen participation was cited as the major reasons for the City's poor Swachh Survekshan ranking this year, there are other reasons too that have attributed to the poor ranking of the City which pushed it deep down to 40th position from 16th in 2018.
Coimbatore : Though cleanliness and lack of citizen participation was cited as the major reasons for the City's poor Swachh Survekshan ranking this year, there are other reasons too that have attributed to the poor ranking of the City which pushed it deep down to 40th position from 16th in 2018.
While comparing the state-wide ranking of the City, Coimbatore fell behind Trichy which stood at 39th rank. Lack of implementation of projects was regarded as the major reason for the drastic decline in ratings.
In the recent Swachh ratings, Coimbatore scored an overall 3412 marks out of 5000. Several parameters including service-level progress, certification, cleanliness, implementation of projects, newer techniques and citizen participation were scrutinised by the panel of judges who accorded only 827 marks out of 1250 for citizen participation and 1169 for cleanliness.
After analysing the 'problematic' areas that fetched them poor marks, the corporation officials have already begun to address the parameters. And, one among them is the 'Ukkadam construction debris recycling plant'.
'No change' in progress of the C&D Plant
From it's inception in 2016 to 2019, the Construction and Demolition (C&D) Waste Processing and Recycling Facility at Ukkadam has not moved an inch.
The 15 acres of empty land guarded by tall compound walls continue to be the only progress of the extensive Construction and Demolition (C&D) Waste Processing and Recycling Facility in Ukkadam which was ear-marked to be carried through PPP Mode (public private partnership).
On February 18, 2017, G Prakash, Commissioner of Municipal Administration along with then Corporation Commissioner Dr. K. Vijayakarthikeyan inspected the ear-marked land at Ukkadam for the C&D plant project and stated that the solid waste management plant can handle up to 100 metric tons of construction and demolition wastes.
For implementation of the project, Rs.1257.96 lakhs has been allocated under the Tamil Nadu government's solid waste management special fund.
The investment on infrastructure which is estimated at Rs.9 crores will be pooled through private investments. The operational and maintenance cost will be met through the tipping charges that will be paid by the civic body to the company running the waste processing plant.
And, a tender was called for on October 28, 2016 from private entities/operators who had applied to take up the proposal of Construction and Demolition Waste Processing and Recycling Facility. Out of the tenders received, New way Engineers MSW Private limited from Chennai was selected on the basis of their lowest proposal rates.
Project stalled
Though the bidder, New way Engineers MSW Private limited imported the necessary equipments from China for the recycling plant via the Chennai port, they were held up in the port due to tax issues. However, even after repeated notices from the Corporation, the private firm failed to start the construction of the plant. Following this, the Corporation cancelled the contract of the private firm in May 2018 and decided to reissue a fresh tender.
On September 25, 2018, then Corporation Commissioner Dr. K Vijayakarthikeyan said, “We are planning to invite tenders from private parties for the project again. In the earlier contract, the private firm had to bear the capital investment of the project. However, in the new tender, the state government and the CCMC will also be making investments in the project. The tenders will be invited once we get financial sanction for the project.”
Latest: Ukkadam plant will be Corporation's first priority
"Yes, there has been an undue delay in setting up of Ukkadam Construction debris recycling plant which even attributed to the fall in points in the recent Swachh Survekshan ratings. The plant in Ukkadam which was supposed to be functional a year back was delayed because of the previous contractor. The contractor's failure to set up the machinery at the plant has forced us to cancel the contract and re-issue a fresh tender. Soon, the corporation will call for a fresh tender", said J. Shravan Kumar, Corporation Commissioner.
He also asserted that after election results are announced, the Corporation will take the Ukkadam C&D plant, as the foremost priority. "Without any further delays, fresh tenders will be called for and the plant will be ready in a year's time", the Commissioner said.
Plans for upcoming Swachh Survekshan rating
The Commissioner has also other plans to boost the Swachh Survekshan ratings and make the city top the ranking, which he says is possible through meticulous planning and execution.
"We are forming a 60 member team comprising of zonal officers and other field staff. This team will meticulously work towards achieving our goal by maintaining day to day records, tracking issues and updating details. The Swachh Survekshan ranking format is now modified in such a manner that every participating city has to maintain a record on a regular basis which will be monitored by the committee", noted Shravan Kumar, CCMC Commissioner who aims to transform the city into a clean city by two years time.