New Delhi, Jan 6 (PTI) An expert appraisal committee (EAC) of the Centre has recommended granting environmental clearance for the expansion of the Okhla waste-to-energy plant in south Delhi despite opposition by residents in the surrounding areas. The Timarpur-Okhla Waste Management Company, a private company owned by Jindal Group, operates the waste-to-energy (WTE) plant which produces 23 MW electricity by burning municipal solid waste. It has now sought permission to increase the power generation capacity by an additional 17 MW.
Residents of Sukhdev Vihar have opposed the proposal for the expansion of the plant situated in the middle of residential area and have been fighting a legal battle for more than 12 years, demanding the closure or shifting of the plant from their backyards.
The public hearing on the expansion project was conducted by the Delhi Pollution Control Committee on August 16 last year and the main issues were related to air pollution, foul smell, employment, and the environment, among others.
The EAC of the Union Environment Ministry took up the proposal in a meeting on November 30 last year and recommended granting environmental clearance to the expansion project, saying the issues raised during the public hearing have been duly addressed by the project proponent.
The environment ministry had earlier capped the garbage consumption at the plant at 1,950 metric tonnes and the power generation at 23 megawatts “considering the proximity of Sukhdev Vihar residential colony located at less than 100 metres from the site”.
“We are already suffering heavily due to the pollution from the plant. They already have another plant running at Tughlaqabad which can be expanded,” said U K Bharadwaj, president of Sukhdev Vihar Resident Welfare Association. PTI GVS KVK KVK
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