Chennai: Back in 2006, the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) invested Rs eight crore to install a biogas plant at Koyambedu, in the city, to make use of the tonnes of bio-waste generated every day at the market and produce electricity from it. But, if we ask the vendors and people residing nearby, they say that they have never seen it working.
The Koyambedu market is easily the biggest such complex in the city, if not the State. It generates around 30 to 40 tonnes of waste per day, according to sources. If this is utilised properly as fuel for the biogas plant, it could produce 1,000 to 3,000 units of electricity a day.
However, the situation was such that at most of the time the plant remained unfunctional, forcing traders to dump their perishable vegetables and fruits out in the open.
Following repeated complaints, the Koyambedu market administration recently issued a termination notice to the private agency for its failure to maintain the biogas plant.
Speaking to News Today, a member of the Koyambedu Wholesale Traders Association said,”The power generated by the biogas plant was used to light up the entire market complex, and sometimes it was even used to power the lamp posts and high-mast lamps at CMBT.”
“But barring the few initial years when the plant was set up, and a few months now and then, the plant was not in operation at all,” he added.
When we probed him for the reason, he said,”The plant operators gave false reasons that they can operate the plant only if they receive at least 50 tonnes of raw materials (vegetable wastes). But it is just an excuse. Then how did the plant function properly in the initial days?”
The Koyambedu Wholesale Traders Association has requested the government to look after the plant operations itself or at least appoint a qualified third party to do it.