CHANDIGARH: The Punjab Governor, S. F. Rodrigues, on Tuesday laid the foundation stone of a Rs. 23-crore Garbage Processing Plant at Dadu Majra here. This unique solid waste management project, the first of its kind in the country, is being set up jointly by the Municipal Corporation and the Chandigarh Administration and the Jai Parkash Associates on a BOT (build-operate-transfer) basis.

Gen Rodrigues called for comprehensive innovative strategies for scientific solid waste management supported by a monitoring system and effective participation of the people. He said that this project will give a major boost to the plans of the Administration to promote ecological sustainability.

He asked the Municipal Corporation to set up a core group of experts and officers for constant validation of the project and to take corrective measures immediately by removing bottlenecks to ensure its speedy implementation.

Expressing concern over the deteriorating and worsening environmental conditions due to speedy growth in urban population, Gen Rodrigues said that there was a need for tackling the ecological crises with focus on various remedial measures such as sanitation, collection and disposal of garbage and generating mass awareness among the people. He appealed to all residents to take a resolve, "This is my Chandigarh; I have to keep it dirt free and promote its cleanliness.''

Chandigarh was fast emerging as an ideal living habitat and a model of structural transformation with best civic amenities, he said, appealing to the people to take forward this process as a public - private - citizen partnership to improve the standard of urban service management and delivery system.

The Mayor, Surinder Singh, said that the Municipal Corporation had chalked out several programmes for accelerating cleanliness and solid waste disposal and set up more parks and gardens.

The Municipal Commissioner, P.S. Aujla, said that the present requirement of the municipal solid waste of the Plant was about 350 tonnes per day.

However, keeping in view the future needs, the Plant being set up had been designed to treat 650 tonnes of municipal solid waste per day.

Senior officers of the Administration including the Home Secretary,Krishna Mohan and the Deputy Commissioner, R.K.Rao. were also present.

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