The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has decided to modernise the Versova garbage transfer station and will also set up a waste-to-energy plant at the refuse transit point soon. It has floated a tender for the removal of waste from the station located near the mangroves and for its disposal at the Mulund and Deonar dumping ground. We will modernise the transfer station,and looking to set up a waste to energy plant at the site in the future, said Additional Municipal Commissioner Mohan Adtani at the standing committee meeting on Monday. Since its establishment in June 2001,residents have fought with the Versova transfer station. We had around 200 acres of mangroves and the establishment of the station did not destroy any part of it initially. We tried to protest,but we were told it is our garbage and we have to deal with it as small trucks cannot travel to far-flung areas such as Gorai and Deonar dumping grounds. In the last few years,we have been asking the corporation to make it a proper transfer station like the one in Mahalakshmi. Over here,it is merely dumped on the road and picked up by the next vehicle and we receive at least 400 tonnes of garbage daily,due to which irreparable damage has been caused to the mangroves in the area, said environmental activist and resident Rishi Aggarwal of the Lokhandwala Complex Environmental Action Group. In the BMCs Development Plan,50 hectares has been set aside for the creation of transfer stations. There will be a transfer station at every zone so that collection is made easier, said Adtani said. Municipal Councillor of the T ward and member of the standing committee Manoj Kotak said,There are many illegal transfer stations that have mushroomed across the city. These dump garbage in the big collection trucks - the corporation should safeguard against this. Members of the standing committee also expressed reservations over the continued stress laid onto the two landfill areas in the eastern suburbs - the Deonar and Mulund dumping ground. The city produces approximately 6,500 tonnes of garbage daily,of which 5,500 tonnes is disposed off at the Deonar dumpsite and 500 tonnes at the Mulund dumping ground. Another 500 tonnes will be dumped at the Kanjurmarg landfill which will be opened in 2013. In 2009,Gorai,the only dumpyard in the western suburbs was scientifically closed after overreaching full capacity in 2007. Highlighting the tussle between the eastern and western suburbs,standing committee member and Samajwadi Party corporator of the M-East ward Rais Shaikh said,It has always been felt that because the western suburbs has more affluent community,garbage is inevitably brought to eastern suburbs. The corporation must be clear with the Versova garbage transfer station.
