KMC begins farmers’ compensation drive for new landfill proj in Dhapa
Kolkata: The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has begun distributing compensation cheques to farmers against land that is being used for the new landfill project at Dhapa. In the first phase, around 250 farmers received their cheques before the Puja, and in the current phase, compensation will be handed over to nearly 300 more farmers. A total of 883 farmers will receive compensation in three phases. According to KMC estimates, the total compensation amount to be disbursed stands at Rs 55 crore. The KMC is now providing compensation to these farmers at the rate of Rs 25,000 per cottah.
The new landfill site, located adjacent to the existing one at Dhapa, has been planned to reduce the burden on Kolkata’s only dump yard. The project will be developed on 541 bighas of land owned by the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC), where several farmers have long been engaged in agricultural activities. The new Dhapa will have a state-of-the-art processing plant on 360 bighas of land. It will be environment-friendly as per the directives of the National Green Tribunal. The civic body’s solid waste management department is currently capable of producing fertiliser, CNG, and plastic products from around 1,500 tonnes of waste per day. According to plans, this capacity will be increased to 2,500 tonnes, and for this, 73 hectares of land are necessary for setting up the new recycling unit. According to a senior official from the KMC’s solid waste management department, prompt action is necessary to implement this project in Kolkata. The Dhapa dumping site was opened in 1987 and is currently receiving around 5,000 tonnes of waste per day, double its capacity. Approximately 4,500 tonnes of waste are dumped there from the 144 wards of the municipality, along with 500 tonnes from Salt Lake, New Town, and Panihati. Another 300 tonnes of waste will soon be sent from Howrah. In this backdrop, civic engineers have sounded an alert that a disaster is waiting to happen at Dhapa.
