Cuttack: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) appointed joint committee has recommended that the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) gradually scale down the micro compost centre (MCC) at Kapilaprasad and divert wet waste to a proposed 300-tonne-per-day compressed biogas (CBG) plant at Meherpalli, reported The New Indian Express.
The recommendation was made in a report submitted to the NGT East Zone Bench on September 11 after an inspection of waste-processing facilities at Kapilaprasad Housing Board Colony in Ward 67. The tribunal has listed the matter for final hearing on October 16.
The committee, comprising officials from the Khurda district administration and Odisha State Pollution Control Board (OSPCB), found that the MCC is located in a predominantly residential area, with houses close to the facility.
It asked BMC to obtain the required approvals under the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016, and the Water and Air Acts if the facility’s combined capacity exceeds five tonnes per day. BMC has also been directed not to expand the facility until the necessary clearances are obtained.
The panel called for stronger odour and vector-control measures, treatment of leachate before discharge and a functional stormwater and leachate management system.
The inspection followed a petition by resident Rajkishore Swain, who alleged that two MCCs and a material recovery facility in the area were operating without mandatory OSPCB authorisation and in violation of the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016.
The committee also sought clarification on the site’s land-use classification and its status under the City Development Plan, including whether it falls within a Heritage Zone or serves as a natural drainage channel.
BMC, in partnership with Oil India Ltd, is developing the 300 TPD Meherpalli CBG plant, with commercial production targeted for April 2027.
The panel recommended that BMC assess how much wet waste currently sent to Kapilaprasad can be diverted to Meherpalli once the CBG plant becomes operational. This would enable the Kapilaprasad facility to be phased down while addressing local concerns over odour and its residential location.
