Govt approves Rs 433 cr action plan to check urban waste management

Mumbai, Thane and Mira-Bhayandar Municipal Corporations will resolve their solid waste management issues and reclaim land occupied by garbage and dumpsites. The central government had approved a Rs 433.74 crore action plan submitted by 28 Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) to address the issue of urban waste. The government announced a plan to make Indian cities garbage-free under the Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban 2.0, and one of the important objectives of the mission is Lakshya Zero Dumpsite. It was to remediate 16 crore tonnes of legacy waste dumpsites occupying 15,000 acres of city land. 28 ULB from Maharashtra had submitted their action plans for remediation of dumpsites to the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA). Greater Mumbai Municipal Corporation, in the first place, aims to address the issue of 2.6 crore metric tonnes (mt) of waste to transform its urban landscape by reclaiming around 355 acres of land, followed by Thane Municipal Corporation handling 8.3 lakh mt waste lying in the dumpsite. Mira-Bhayandar Municipal Corporation plans to dispose of about 9 lakh mt of waste, reclaiming acres of prime land. According to an official, this project will ensure the ecological balance of the cities on about 1,532 acres of land. Image Source