3 weeks ago
PCMC Corporators Seek Independent Probe Into Moshi Biogas Tender
Some city leaders in Pimpri-Chinchwad are upset about a new project.
The project would turn wet garbage into gas for fuel.
A private company would build and run the plant for the city.
The leaders did some math and think the company would earn too much money.
They say the company would get paid for every tonne of garbage it processes.
Over 15 years, that could add up to about 750 crore rupees.
The company would also sell the gas it makes and earn even more money.
The leaders say the city itself would not earn any money directly from the project.
So they are asking an independent expert to check the contract first.
They want to make sure the deal is fair for the city before it goes ahead.
Corporators Sandeep Waghere and Sulabha Ubale, standing committee members of PCMC, alleged irregularities in the tender for the Moshi biogas plant and demanded an independent inquiry.
The proposed 375 metric tonnes per day wet waste-to-biogas plant at the Moshi garbage depot was to be set up under the DBFOT model on a public-private partnership basis.
Waghere claimed the contractor would receive a tipping fee of Rs 3,611 per tonne of waste, amounting to nearly Rs 750 crore over 15 years.
The corporators alleged the contractor would also earn over Rs 344 crore from biogas sales and a Rs 37 crore subsidy, while the civic body would receive no direct revenue.
They demanded that the tender process, financial calculations and contract conditions be examined by an independent expert committee before any further decision is taken.
- Who
- Sandeep Waghere and Sulabha Ubale, corporators and standing committee members of the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC), joined at the press conference by corporators Vikas Sane and Raju Bansode.
- What
- Allegations of irregularities in the tender for a 375 metric tonnes per day wet waste-to-biogas plant at the Moshi garbage depot, and a demand for an independent inquiry before the project moves ahead.
- Where
- Moshi garbage depot in Pimpri-Chinchwad (Pune).
- When
- Thursday, at a press conference; the article does not specify the exact date.
- Why
- Because the corporators believe the tender terms are financially favourable to the private contractor and not in the interests of the municipal corporation.
Concerned Corporators
Civic Administration
Financial fairness of the tender
Concerned Corporators
The tender terms are financially favourable to the private contractor, who would earn nearly Rs 750 crore in tipping fees, over Rs 344 crore from biogas sales and a Rs 37 crore subsidy over 15 years, while the corporation would receive no direct revenue.
Civic Administration
The project was initially estimated at around Rs 180 crore and was tendered by the PCMC Environment Engineering Department under the standard DBFOT public-private partnership model.
Need for an independent inquiry
Concerned Corporators
An independent expert committee should examine the tender process, financial calculations and contract conditions before any further decision is taken, with complete transparency on financial aspects.
Civic Administration
The tender has already been floated by the civic administration, and the corporators did not provide evidence to support their allegations against Chief Engineer Sanjay Kulkarni.
Project operation model
Concerned Corporators
The civic body should consider operating the project on its own rather than handing it to a private contractor.
Civic Administration
The plant was planned to be built, financed, operated and transferred by a private partner under the DBFOT model on a public-private partnership basis.
Key facts
- Project
- 375 metric tonnes per day wet waste-to-biogas plant
- Contract model
- Design, Build, Finance, Operate and Transfer (DBFOT) on a public-private partnership basis
- Location
- Moshi garbage depot, Pimpri-Chinchwad
- Initial project estimate
- Around Rs 180 crore
- Tipping fee
- Rs 3,611 per tonne of waste processed
- Claimed tipping fee over 15 years
- Nearly Rs 750 crore (~Rs 13.54 lakh per day, over Rs 50 crore annually)
- Claimed biogas revenue over 15 years
- More than Rs 344 crore (~Rs 6.3 lakh per day, Rs 22 crore annually)
- Claimed subsidy from civic body
- Rs 37 crore
Sources
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