Decks have been cleared for Mohali to get a new garbage-treatment plant, replacing the one in Industrial Focal Point, Phase VIII-B, here.

The Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA) is all set to start proceedings of disbursement of land compensation and take possession of the land to fulfill the long-pending demand of Mohali’s own plant to treat solid waste, with compenstion of Rs 1 crore (plus other incentives) per acre for 76 acres of land acquired in Sector 102-A, on the outskirts of Mohali.

“A final land acquisition notification, under Section 6 of Land Acquisition Act, 1894, is being issued, following which the work on the plant will begin,” GMADA Chief Administrator (CA) Vivek Partap Singh told Newsline.

The development assumes significance as till now, Mohali’s solid waste and garbage was dumped in the densely-populated area surrounded by leading industrial units, mega projects and residential areas, which the Residential Welfare Society of the PSIEC Housing Complex in Industrial Focal Point, Phase VIII-B, claimed, was against the National Dumping Rules.

Even IT major Quark Media, Dell Computers and Punjab ’s most-touted special economic zone, Quark City, were also located in the vicinity of the present site.

The Residential Welfare Society had been fighting a legal battle seeking shifting of the garbage dumping ground from the present site. The foul smell emanating from the garbage dumped and the smoke from the burning of the garbage had been causing breathing, skin and eye complications, the the area residents had complained.

As a short-term arrangement, Mohali district administration had last year requested Chandigarh Administration to allow the dumping of Mohali’s solid waste material and garbage for processing at Chandigarh ’s upcoming waste processing and disposal facilities unit but Chandigarh Municipal Corporation had categorically refused.

Left with no other option, and even the Punjab and Haryana High Court recently directing the Secretary, Housing and Urban Development, (SHUD), Punjab, to file a status report on steps being taken to set up solid waste treatment plant in Mohali, the Department of Housing and Urban Development has stepped up its efforts to set up the facility as per the site earmarked in Mohali’s Master Plan in Sector 102-A by going ahead with the land acquisition proceedings despite the opposition by the residents of Chaomajra, Dairi and Dharali villages.

For the dumping and burning garbage and waste material of Mohali, 34.29 acres in Dharali, 30.14 acres in Chaomajra and 11.57 acres land has been acquired in Dairi village.

Initially the new site will be used as scientific garbage dumping and burning centre before the setting up of the solid waste treatment plant under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM).