City civic body to build platforms, repair roads at Dhapa landfill

kolkata: With several of the waste disposal heavy-loaded vehicles of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) getting damaged because of deplorable road conditions at the Dhapa landfill site, the civic body has approved a proposal to take up a series of urgent civil works, including the installation of unloading platforms and renovation of the roads, at an estimated cost of Rs 11 crore approximately.

KMC is faced with a problem that is affecting its waste disposal system at the Dhapa landfill site. It is learnt that there is a considerable number of heavy loaded vehicles like movable compactors, stationary compactors, drainage vehicles etc. which work regularly to keep the city clean. However, the problem surfaced when the roads at Dhapa began getting damaged within a short period.

An official said that the reason for the damage is “poor subgrade with zero CBR value of such land that is filled up with garbage.” Calfornia Bearing Ratio (CBR) value indicates the strength of subgrade soil.

The official said that it is because of this poor grade of soil that the KMC’s heavy vehicles are frequently breaking down.

Hence, the civic body feels that to keep the disposal system stable, it is necessary to construct platforms and renovate the roads at the Dhapa landfill site. It is learnt that as part of the civil works, KMC intends to build 13 unloading platforms.

It was explained, “The unloading platforms are used to unload the daily garbage and simultaneously dozed for the next day’s use. In this process, the lift height increases each day by more than two metres. Since the roads at the Dhapa landfill site are used for a maximum of one year to receive vehicles for unloading at the high altitude and the new unloading platforms are required to become ready for dumping and levelling of waste on the constructed road, therefore the constructed road finally goes under the newly disposed of garbage.”

Some of the places inside the Dhapa landfill site where these unloading platforms will be constructed are near Khanaberia, Bidhannagar, Jai Hind Bheri etc.

According to officials, the estimated total project cost stands at Rs 11,33,62,838. It was proposed that the fund amount be debited from the 15

Finance Commission.