BMC Budget Check: Deonar energy plant still a far-off dream

After being brought up in BMC Budget for three consecutive years since 2016, the civic body is yet to realise its dream of making energy out of the garbage. For three years, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation had been making provision of more than Rs. 100 crore for energy plant at Deonar dumping, but in vain. Like every year, the project couldn't see the light of the day this year.

The Solid Waste Management (SWM) department doesn't have a good history of using budgetary provision wisely. In the last 10 years — between 2007 and 2017 — SWM department has spent only Rs. 823 crore on various projects, which accounts to less than 20 per cent of the provision. Even after the projects were shifted under Additional Commissioner (project) in 2017, the work progressed at a snail's pace. The commissioner made provision of Rs. 110 crore for an energy plant in Deonar ground. A tender was floated in 2016, not a single contractor came forward. After floating the tender twice and giving three extensions, the civic body has given yet another month's extension until January-end and hopes to award the contract by May 2019.

In June last year, the BMC had finally found a contractor to scientifically close Mulund dump site at a cost of Rs 731 crore over a six-year span. The work supposed to start from October 1. However, the work started in January after the contractor received a NOC from the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board. As per the official data, SWMP used only Rs 55 lakh of the total Rs 209 crore provision till December end.

SWM department is not far behind. It used only 23 per cent of the provision made for 2018-19. The major project is the reconstruction of community and pay and use toilets which are in dilapidated condition, and increase toilet seats by constructing two/three storey toilets. "The standing committee approved 14,000 toilet seats proposal in January. The project will complete in three years. Another proposal of constructing 8,000 toilet seats is in the pipeline," said an officer form SWM department. But BMC's plan to generate revenue by advertisements on toilets did not see the day of light.

On the other side, the BMC has awarded contracts of cleaning of beach cleaning with upgraded technology which has yielded positive results. The BMC developed 15 depots for dry waste segregation. However, its plan for dry waste management remains on paper. Its plan to fit underground garbage bins at tourist and heritage spot has also failed due to underground utility wires. The civic body has managed to install them at four places.