PPP push can improve waste management in Mysuru

MYSURU: The state government’s budget proposal to involve private agencies in solid waste management could help improve garbage processing in Mysuru, which doesn’t have enough facilities.
Mysuru produces over 500 tonnes of solid waste every day. Of this, only about 200 tonnes is processed.
The Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) already runs a compost plant with the help of an outside agency, but a bigger public-private effort is needed to improve the city’s processing capacity.
In his budget speech earlier this month, chief minister BS Yediyurappa said comprehensive solid waste management programmes should be developed in all urban local bodies with external aid. Feasibility and detail project reports would be prepared this year, he added.
If these plans materialise, MCC will be able to remodel an existing solid waste plant in Vidyaranyapuram. The site, spread over 19 acres, is managed by a Delhi-based firm. The lease has expired, but the government has asked the civic body to continue using the firm’s services.
The machinery at the site is outdated and its capacity is limited; it can treat about 150-200 tonnes of waste every day. MCC also runs a few decentralised units, but their capacity is as low as 5 tonnes.
Civic officials have proposed to open two more units in Rayanakere and Kesare and install modern machinery at Vidyaranyapuram but are yet to receive the government’s approval.
MCC commissioner Gurudatta Hegde said though the directorate of municipal administration had not yet issued any instructions for public-private partnerships, such arrangements could improve solid waste management.