
North Lakhimpur becomes first town to successfully treat 70,000 MT of legacy waste
A CORRESPONDENT
LAKHIMPUR: Setting a unique example in waste management and giving a major boost to the Swachh Bharat Mission, the flagship initiative adopted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, North Lakhimpur has become the first town and North Lakhimpur Municipal Board (NLMB) has become the first urban level body in Assam in managing 70,000 metric tonne of legacy waste.
This was possible with the implementation of an effective project, titled as ‘Rehabilitation of Legacy Waste and Regular Generating Waste in North Lakhimpur Municipal Board’. With this project, the civic body has managed to clean over 16 bighas land of the dumping ground of North Lakhimpur and to protect the town from further polution.
Simultaneously, with this success, the Government of Assam has also set an example in the nation where solid waste management is currently a burning problem. The success of the project has paved way for other places of the State with regard to mitigating the problem.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma lauded the achievement of the North Lakhimpur Municipal Board, which managed to check the growing threat of environmental pollution caused by the legacy wasted deposited in the dumping ground, located in the heart of North Lakhimpur town “Giving a huge fillip to #SwachhBharatMission, North Lakhimpur has become the first town in Assam to successfully treat 70,000 MT of legacy waste, thus clearing 16 bigha area in the middle of the town,” the Chief Minister said in a tweet. “Waste management is critical to a sustainable environment,” he further added.
Notably, the mountain of the garbage in the dumping ground of North Lakhimpur town had been a big issue for the district administration and the NLMB. It is located at Ward No. 14. It polluted the surrounding areas and nearby water bodies, including the Somdiri, a tributary of River Subansiri. The dumping ground had no proper system for the disposal of the garbage. As a result of it, people living in the area and various frontal organizations consecutively demanded the district administration to shift the dumping ground to a safe place. In February, 2019, Lakhimpur District Brand Ambassador of the Swachh Bharat Mission, Ranjit Kakati also submitted a written suggestion to the district administration, urging it to initiate step to manage the legacy waste of the dumping ground.
After a detailed survey of the area, Lakhimpur MLA Manab Deka held a detailed discussion with Sumit Satwan, the Deputy Commissioner of Lakhimpur, over the issue. Then a detailed roadmap was prepared and it led to the formal process of e-tendering
“Following the initiative of the MLA, North Lakhimpur Municipal Board prepared the project and it was submitted to the Sanctioning-cum-Monitoring Committee under the 15th Finance. The committee is headed by the Deputy Commissioner of the district. After detailed consultation, the committee accorded approval to the project and suggested to go with it. Then e-tendering process was conducted on December 15 in 2021. The entire project has been implemented with the investment of a fund amounting to Rs. 2.61 crore under tied fund. The processing of the legacy waste started from January in 2022,” said Casio Karan Pegu, the Executive Officer of the NLMB, to this correspondent.
Regarding the achievement, Lakhimpur MLA Manab Deka said, “I’m thankful to Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and Urban Development Minister Ashok Singhal. Both appreciated our move in this regard and helped us in all possible ways. It was a challenge for us, but because of the strong will of the officials involved, including Principal Secretary Kavitha Padmanabhan of Urban Development department, Lakhimpur Deputy Commissioner Sumit Satwan and all other stakeholders, we managed to achieve success.” He added that his target was to build Lakhimpur into a garbage-free district.
On the other hand, Casio Karan Pegu, the Executive Officer of NLMB said, “After processing, the segregated plastic waste called as RDF (Refuse Derived Fuel), is now sent to a cement company in Meghalaya from the dumping ground. As per the National Green Tribunal's (India) agreement, cement company must use it as fuel. Around 50 trucks of RDF have been sent to Meghalaya till date. The organic waste has been processed to compost and it is being sold to local farmers at a minimal amount as per municipality norms. The government is planning to convert the 16 bighas of land into a multipurpose ground along with parks.”
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