Adopt latest technology and modernise waste-to- energy plant in Visakhapatnam, Municipal Administration Minister tells Jindal group representatives

Municipal Administration Minister P. Narayana urges Jindal Group to modernise Waste-to-Energy Plant in Visakhapatnam, emphasising odour control and technology.

Municipal Administration and Urban Development Minister P. Narayana has asked the representatives from the Jindal Group to take steps to modernise the waste-to-energy plant at Kapuluppada here. He suggested them to adopt latest technology and make sure no bad odour is emanated from the plant. The Minister also assured all sort of help from the State government.

In his first visit to Visakhapatnam after taking charge as the Minister, Mr. Narayana inspected the waste-to-energy plant and the biomining plant at Kapuluppada here on Tuesday. He was accompanied by Bheemunipatnam MLA Ganta Srinivasa Rao and GVMC Commissioner P. Sampath Kumar.

Addressing the media, Mr. Narayana said that during the year 2014, when he was the MAUD Minister, he had visited Waste to Energy plants in Singapore, Tokyo and a few other countries to study solid and liquid waste management.

Though Singapore is almost equal to Visakhapatnam in terms of boundaries, it has about four waste-to-energy plants, while Tokyo with about one crore population and 50 divisions, had 49 plants, he said. During the 2014-19, the then Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu wanted to set up the plants in all the districts, after Visakhapatnam and Guntur.

He said that the plant in Visakhapatnam with a 1,200 MT capacity has been generating 15 Mega Watt electricity and the ash is being used for making bricks. Guntur plant is also functioning effectively with 1,000 tonnes capacity, he said.

He said that during the last five years, no new plant works were taken up. After formation of the NDA government, the Chief Minister wanted to revive the earlier project to set up waste-to-energy plants in all the districts, this time adopting new technology, he said.

Mr. Narayana suggested to the Jindal representatives to study the functioning of plants in other countries on how they do not emanate any bad smell despite being established in residential areas.