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Mayor gets a grand welcome for Swachh sweep
Mayor gets a grand welcome for Swachh sweep

Time of India

timea day ago

  • Politics
  • Time of India

Mayor gets a grand welcome for Swachh sweep

Lucknow: Mayor Sushma Kharakwal received a grand welcome after the city secured third place in the 'Swachh Shehar' million-plus category. BJP and BJYM workers greeted her with slogans and flower showers at the Agra-Lucknow Expressway toll plaza, with celebrations held across multiple zones. In zone 6 (Mohan Road), a tricolour rally was led by zonal officer Manoj Yadav. In zone 5, near CMS Awadh Chauraha, zonal officer Nandkishore welcomed her with bouquets. At Nahariya Chauraha, the LSA team led by Dharmendra Pradhan formed a human chain. In zone 8 LMC staff led by zonal officer Ajit Rai, also formed a human chain. Celebrations ended at the Municipal Corporation HQ, where corporators and officials, including additional municipal commissioners Namrata Singh and Arun Kumar Gupta, welcomed the mayor.

Lucknow becomes ‘zero net waste city' with new Shivri Waste Plant
Lucknow becomes ‘zero net waste city' with new Shivri Waste Plant

Hindustan Times

time22-06-2025

  • Business
  • Hindustan Times

Lucknow becomes ‘zero net waste city' with new Shivri Waste Plant

Lucknow reached a major milestone in urban waste management on Sunday with the launch of a new 700 metric tonne (MT) fresh waste processing unit at the Shivri Solid Waste Management Plant. With this, the city has achieved 100% scientific processing of all 2,000 MT of daily municipal waste, earning it the distinction of being a 'zero net waste city.' Urban development minister AK Sharma inaugurated the new facility in the presence of mayor Sushma Kharakwal, municipal officials, and residents. (Sourced) Urban development minister AK Sharma inaugurated the new facility in the presence of mayor Sushma Kharakwal, municipal officials, and residents. Municipal commissioner Gaurav Kumar said the city now operates three waste processing units of 700 MT capacity each. 'With this third unit, no untreated fresh municipal waste remains. This marks full scientific treatment of the city's daily garbage output,' he said. The minister recalled that back in 2022, the Shivri site had accumulated 18.5 lakh MT of legacy waste, posing an environmental challenge. In response, the Lucknow Municipal Corporation launched a ₹ 106.18 crore remediation project, including ₹ 96.53 crore sanctioned under the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM-1). The contract was awarded to M/s Bhumi Green Energy, which began operations in March 2024. So far, 12.86 lakh MT of old waste has been processed, producing refuse-derived fuel (RDF), bio-soil, and construction-grade debris. The recovered area, over 25 acres, is now being repurposed for green zones, composting pads, and new waste infrastructure. To maintain operational transparency, the plant is monitored round-the-clock through 47 CCTV cameras. Independent technical oversight is being provided by NEERI Nagpur, IIT Roorkee, and VJTI Mumbai. Additional municipal commissioner Arvind Kumar Rao said the project is enabling a circular economy by reusing waste, creating jobs, and conserving resources. 'Lucknow is being viewed as a model by other municipal bodies within and outside India,' he said. Minister Sharma added that a detailed project report (DPR) is underway for a build-own-operate waste-to-energy (WTE) plant. Until that is ready, the Shivri facility, supported by NTPC, will act as the interim solution for waste processing. During the inauguration, students from a local private school visited the site to observe scientific waste disposal practices. The minister and mayor encouraged them to adopt waste segregation at home and take part in building a cleaner city. 'This is more than an infrastructure project; it marks a new direction for how our city manages its future,' Mayor Kharakwal said, crediting the collective efforts of citizens and officials for the achievement. The event was also attended by chief engineer Mahesh Verma, senior municipal officers, corporators, and members of the local community.

WtE plant to process refuse derived fuel, produce power
WtE plant to process refuse derived fuel, produce power

Time of India

time19-06-2025

  • Business
  • Time of India

WtE plant to process refuse derived fuel, produce power

Lucknow: A waste-to-energy (WtE) plant will be set up at Shivri by the Lucknow Municipal Corporation soon. The plant will process refuse derived fuel (RDF) made from non-recyclable plastics, paper, cardboard and other combustible inorganic materials collected from the city and nearby municipalities and nagar panchayats. By processing RDF locally, the project is expected to cut down significantly high logistic cost of transporting waste to cement factories about 500 km away. The plant is part of city's plan to set up a 15 MW RDF-to-electricity unit aimed at managing waste and generating power from it. It will use 1,000–1,200 metric tonnes of RDF produced daily in Lucknow, which is transported to other locations. The project, estimated to cost Rs 450 crore, will be developed under a public-private partnership (PPP) model using the Design, Build, Finance, Operate and Transfer (DBFOT) structure. Funding will be divided among the private partner (50%), the state or urban local body (25%), and the central govt (25%), with Viability Gap Funding (VGF) proposed. Additional municipal commissioner Arvind Rao said the plant will handle waste and produce electricity. Mayor Sushma Kharakwal said the project aligned with goals related to waste and energy in urban and rural regions. "The plant is expected to be completed in over two years on 20–25 acres of land and will need 3 million litres water per day. It will create jobs, produce revenue through power sales and support carbon credit activities," she said. The facility will run on RDF with systems like stoker grate or fluidized bed boilers, high-pressure boilers, and turbines. Electricity produced will be sold to state's power utility under power purchase agreement. The plant has bag filters, scrubbers, and monitoring equipment for emission control to meet norms of Central and UP Pollution Control Boards. Residual ash may be reused in construction and cement-related work.

A day after green event, LMC red-faced
A day after green event, LMC red-faced

Hindustan Times

time07-06-2025

  • Politics
  • Hindustan Times

A day after green event, LMC red-faced

Half a dozen of the saplings planted by urban development minister AK Sharma and other officials at Laxman Mela Ground disappeared on Friday, just a day after the plantation drive, raising serious questions over the Lucknow Municipal Corporation's (LMC) planning and execution. The plantation was part of a major event on World Environment Day, Ganga Dussehra, and the birthday of chief minister Yogi Adityanath, on Thursday. Officials had planted over 30 saplings at the site. Of the 10 saplings planted in a row -- each protected by tree guards -- by minister Sharma, mayor Sushma Kharakwal and municipal commissioner Gaurav Kumar, only four remained by Friday morning. A ground report by HT on Friday morning revealed six empty pits, while the saplings were missing. However, LMC claimed that the plants were 'shifted' to another location as a large number of people visit Laxman Mela Ground during festivals. Despite the presence of top officials and the appointment of additional municipal commissioner Arun Kumar Gupta as nodal officer, LMC failed to identify a suitable location for the plantation drive. Officials acknowledged that the site is actually used for idol immersion during major festivals, and the area turned into a dumping ground just hours after the Thursday event. However, soon after the issue came to light, the LMC staff started planting the saplings again in what appeared to be a damage control effort. Criticising LMC's 'casual approach', environmentalists said inability to safeguard saplings planted in the presence of a minister would dent the credibility of regular plantation drives. Prabhunath Rai, president of Bhojpuri Samaj, claimed the saplings were removed by LMC officials themselves after realising that the site was wrongly selected. 'This is pure negligence,' Rai said. Mayor Sushma Kharakwal directed additional municipal corporation Arun Kumar Gupta to prepare and submit a detailed report. Meanwhile, LMC claimed to have planted over 1,000 saplings across the city as part of the same initiative, including those of rudraksha, banyan, amla, and kaner. The campaign also featured activities under 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam' and 'Plogging for Plastic' campaigns. A human chain was also formed for environment conservation at the Gomti riverfront.

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