The Haryana government on Thursday decided to set up three waste-to-energy plants in Gurugram, Manesar and Faridabad within 24 months to tackle solid waste management and boost power generation capacity. This was decided at a high-level meeting chaired by Chief Minister Nayab Saini.

The announcement comes months after the National Green Tribunal had pulled up municipal corporations of Gurugram and Faridabad over “gross deficiencies” in the management of waste.

According to a statement released by the Directorate of Information, Public Relations and Languages of Haryana, the work of setting up plants would begin in the coming months.

Encapsulating the benefits of these plants, the release stated that electricity will be produced from the waste through these plants, reducing dependency on energy sources such as coal, and the generated power will be added to the grid to meet surplus energy needs to enable sustainable development in the State.

“The operation and maintenance of these plants will also create large-scale employment,” the statement read.

Cleanliness drive

Earlier in the day, Mr. Saini took part in the ‘Gurugram Mega Swachhata Abhiyan’ clealiness campaign. 

The Chief Minister also directed the authorities to strengthen sanitation arrangements in urban and rural areas, modernise the solid waste management system and make the cleanliness drive a mass movement.