Thane Municipal Corporation to generate electricity from garbage

The Thane municipal corporation is all set to generate electricity from its Daighar waste processing unit. The daily garbage output of Thane is 650 tonnes and the Daighar plant will process 600 tonnes of solid waste daily.

After generating fuel and brisket from garbage, the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) now wants to generate electricity from it. The work for solid management has started at its Daighar site."The garbage here will be used to generate electricity which will be given away to Maharashtra State Electricity Board (MSEB)," says Ashok Burpulle, deputy municipal commissioner - SWM, TMC.

"It will process 600 tonnes in the first phase and we will gradually increase its capacity. And 600 tonnes of more waste will be processed in the second phase," says Burpulle. The plant will be functional in one and a half year.

The residents of Diva, however, contradicted this unit and want development of their area first. "There are no proper roads in Diva, no proper drainage lines, water supply, etc. The TMC should address these issues first instead of setting up the SWM unit here," says Govind Bhagat president, Aagri Yuva Sanghatna.

For years, the residents of Diva have been living with sparse civic amenities. The residents have been fighting with the TMC as the latter dumps the city garbage in the area. Now they have to deal with the bad smell, respiratory problems and other health issues.

But in February this year, the TMC vowed to change the face of Diva and planned to build a police station, hospital, ward offices, solid waste management plant, gardens, staff quarters, etc., at Aagasan in the area.