PESHAWAR, Nov 6: The Rs15 million compost plant project meant to scientifically dispose of solid waste could not be materialized due to lack of interest on the part

of the Peshawar city district government, official sources said.

In 2001 the military-backed government in the province took an initiative to install a compost plant in Peshawar with the help of a private firm to dispose of solid waste and garbage collected from different parts of the city.

The need to install such a plant was felt in order to ensure proper and safe disposal of solid waste, ending the currently pursued method of getting rid of garbage by dumping it in an open area within the jurisdiction of the municipal committee.

Despite the fact that an Islamabad-based private firm had agreed to bear the developmental and operational cost of the project amounting to Rs15 million, the move could not be materialized owing to inability of the Peshawar city district government to provide the required land for installing the plant.

Approval for the installation of the proposed plant was given by the Peshawar city district government on January 5, 2002.

The preliminary terms and conditions to enter into a formal agreement with the private firm had also been agreed, according to which the land was to be provided by the district government and developmental and operational cost was to be borne by the firm.

As per an understanding reached between the two sides, the private firm was also supposed to pay a minimum of Rs20 per ton of solid waste transported to the site of the plant.

In this way a considerable amount of revenue could have been generated by the district government which collects and dumps between 350 and 400 tons of solid waste on a daily basis.

In addition to that the two sides had estimated that the execution of the proposed project would create employment for 100 people in a single shift.

“The project could not be executed because of the non-availability of the land,” said district Naib Nazim of Peshawar Dr Iqbal Khalil who headed a sub-committee to monitor the follow-up activities that were supposed to be carried out on the part of the two sides to formally execute the project.

Mr Khalil said, later on the private firm was requested to arrange  200 kanals in a suitable area on its own to execute the project.

“But they did not respond to our request,” said Dr Khalil.