Mumbai: Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde informed the Legislative Assembly on Monday that a dedicated cell will be established to address the waste management challenges faced by municipal corporations and councils across Maharashtra.
Responding during the Question Hour, Shinde said, “A separate cell will be formed to help resolve the difficulties faced by municipal corporations and municipal councils in scientific waste disposal.”
The issue was raised by MLA Vijay Deshmukh, who highlighted the growing health concerns in Solapur due to improper waste disposal by the municipal corporation. Supplementary questions were also raised by MLAs Abhimanyu Pawar and Arjun Khotkar.
Shinde further informed the House that Solapur Bioenergy Company Limited is currently managing the scientific disposal of waste collected daily from Solapur city. A 300-ton per day biogas plant is operational in the city, converting wet waste into biogas and compost, while dry waste is segregated and sent to processing units.
He stressed the importance of proper waste segregation at the source in all urban local bodies. “Instructions have already been given to the Principal Secretary of the Urban Development Department to assist smaller municipal bodies in addressing these issues. The state government will provide necessary support wherever required,” he added.
To ensure transparency in last-minute resolutions passed by municipal corporations, the Principal Secretary will also be instructed to verify such resolutions thoroughly, Shinde said.
Minister of State for Urban Development, Ms. Missal, added that although door-to-door waste collection is being carried out in Solapur through garbage vans (ghantagadis), certain slum areas still face the problem of waste accumulation despite regular collection efforts.
She also revealed that approximately seven lakh tons of garbage had been dumped in Solapur over time, out of which nearly five lakh tons have already been cleared.
