The civic body mulls policy for selling soil extracted during various projects.
There is an opportunity everywhere; the need is to identify it. And the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation seems to be doing just that. Having tapped resources like sewage and solid waste for making money, AMC is now looking at the ground, literally! It plans to sell the soil extracted during its various projects, disposed of randomly so far.
Municipal commissioner Guruprasad Mohapatra has asked the engineering department to prepare a policy regarding the sale of extracted soil while giving out big projects to private bidders. Thus, the civic body will not only earn money but also be able to save carting charges.
Thousands of cubic metres of soil are extracted during various civic projects, viz. building water pump and distribution station, installation of drainage to name a few. This soil is disposed of randomly. However, only recently did AMC officials get the idea of selling it. According to them, private builders need soil for refilling at their project sites.
“There is currently no formula for using soil for the purpose of refilling. The amount of soil used for refilling differs. If the construction work is higher, then less soil would be needed for refilling,” said a senior official of AMC’s engineering department.
Currently, with no policy in place, nobody has approached AMC for purchase of the extracted soil.
“There is definitely demand in market for soil used for refilling purpose. We will survey the market and then fix the rate per cubic metre. However, the private party will have to bear the government expenditures including royalty paid to mines and minerals department,” said the official.
However, while this means additional revenue for the civic body, generating money is not the primary goal of AMC.
“It is part of our campaign aimed at improving sanitation and hygiene conditions as well as saving natural resources. Soil extracted during projects goes waste, while private developers have to dig out earth for getting soil for refilling,” said the official.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}