Vellore may lose top rank in waste handling as contractor finds payment for bio mining low

Bio mining to convert the 2 lakh metre cube accumulated garbage in the yard started in July last year with the contractor using his Rs 13.65 crore equipment to convert roughly around 530 metre cube per day. Till date around 38,000 metre cube garbage has been converted and “conversion work is expected to continue for another one and a half year to clear the entire yard,” officials said.

However, the lockdown resulted in the contractor being unable to earn the envisaged profit, it is said. While the corporation pays Rs 650 per metre cube of converted garbage, it is said to be below the breakeven point. In comparison, Chennai pays around Rs 1,100 for the same work, it is said. Another issue is that while the corporation plans to sell converted fertilizer to farmers at Rs 1,000 per 25 kilo bag, the contractor has been allowed to sell RDF (refuse derived fuel) which includes plastic to cement factories in Ariyalur district. T his too has run into issues as RDF has a calorific value of 3,500 degrees whereas cement factories need 5,500 degrees to even break-even, officials averred. With most cement units stopping purchase of RDF, a cement unit which earlier sent their own vehicles to get RDF now want it to be delivered at their plant. The move has irked both the Corporation officials and the contractor. Vellore and Kumbakonam are the first to adopt this process in the country. Vellore officials even visited New Delhi some time ago to highlight the system’s advantages to officials from other states.