For the better management of Municipal Solid Waste, Punjab Government has divided the whole state into seven clusters. M/s IL&FS was appointed as consultant for looking after of all Municipal solid waste of Punjab. The Jalandhar region is among one of the cluster. This region contains 26 municipal committees including Municipal Corporation Jalandhar. The common facility to treat municipal waste from all municipalities was proposed to install at Jamsher village. The area selected in the village is about 15 acres of land near the diary firms in the Jamsher village. The proposed facility was going to be established through Public-Private-Participations mode. [1]. |
Description:
Basic Data
| Name of conflict: | Jamsher solid waste treatment plant in Jalandhar, Punjab, India |
| Country: | India |
| State or province: | Punjab |
| Location of conflict: | Village - Jamsher( Near Jalandhar) |
| Accuracy of location | MEDIUM (Regional level) |
Source of Conflict
| Type of conflict. 1st level: | Waste Management |
| Type of conflict. 2nd level: | Waste privatisation conflicts / waste-picker access to waste Landfills, toxic waste treatment, uncontrolled dump sites |
| Specific commodities: | Domestic municipal waste |
Project Details and Actors
| Project details | The proposed waste treatment plant of Jalandhar Municipal Corporation is located about 15-20 kilometer away from Jalandhar city. It is planned on about 15 Acres of land near Jamsher village near the dairy complex at Jamsher on a public private partnership mode [1]. Jindal Urban Infrastructure Limited (JUIL), a company of M/s Jindal Saw Group Limited is responsible for execution of the project. It will have fertilizer production and power generation plant. It has planned to generate about 6 MW of power from solid waste burning. The total cost of the project was estimated to Rs 99.21 crores. The project was expected to be ready by 2012-13. Once completed, the plant can handle perday 700 metric tons of municipal solid waste. It is designed to generate 260 tons of fluff—residue of the waste burnt. The plant is also designed to process 50 tonnes of green waste for producing biogas in a biomethanation plant and manure in a composting facility, per day. The biogas generated is expected to be about 2,750 to 3,000 Nm3/day and manure quantity is expected to be about 6 to 7 tons per day. [2]. |
| Project area: | 8 |
| Level of Investment for the conflictive project | $15,967,591(Rs 99.21 crores) |
| Type of population | Rural |
| Affected Population: | 10,000-20,000 |
| Start of the conflict: | 2011 |
| Company names or state enterprises: | M/s Jindal Urban Infrastructure Limited (JUIL) from India - Partner in the plant working in PPP mode M/s Jindal Saw Group Limited from India - Jindal Urban Infrastructure Limited is the subsiadiary of M/s Jindal Saw Group Limited IL&FS Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd from India - Consultant of the project Municipal Corporation of Jalandhar from India - Owner |
| Relevant government actors: | Government of Punjab Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) |
| Environmental justice organizations (and other supporters) and their websites, if available: | Toxics Watch Alliance (TWA) Local VIllagers Indian National Congress (Political Party) |
Conflict & Mobilization
| Intensity | MEDIUM (street protests, visible mobilization) |
| Reaction stage | PREVENTIVE resistance (precautionary phase) |
| Groups mobilizing: | Farmers Local ejos Landless peasants Local government/political parties Neighbours/citizens/communities Social movements Women Ethnically/racially discriminated groups |
| Forms of mobilization: | Boycotts of official procedures/non-participation in official processes Official complaint letters and petitions Public campaigns Street protest/marches Strikes Hunger strikes and self immolation |
Impacts
| Environmental Impacts | Potential: Air pollution, Biodiversity loss (wildlife, agro-diversity), Food insecurity (crop damage), Loss of landscape/aesthetic degradation, Noise pollution, Soil contamination, Waste overflow, Surface water pollution / Decreasing water (physico-chemical, biological) quality, Large-scale disturbance of hydro and geological systems, Reduced ecological / hydrological connectivity |
| Health Impacts | Potential: Infectious diseases |
| Socio-economical Impacts | Potential: Displacement, Loss of livelihood, Loss of traditional knowledge/practices/cultures, Specific impacts on women, Land dispossession |
Outcome
| Project Status | Planned (decision to go ahead eg EIA undertaken, etc) |
| Conflict outcome / response: | Environmental improvements, rehabilitation/restoration of area Negotiated alternative solution Strengthening of participation Under negotiation Application of existing regulations New Environmental Impact Assessment/Study |
| Proposal and development of alternatives: | Activists found that Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report has not taken many issues into considerations. For example it has not clear how the lethal chemical contents such as mercury or leads will be treated [2]. So, villagers decided that they will unanimously oppose the project and they will never allow the construction of a solid waste treatment plant there [3] |
| Do you consider this an environmental justice success? Was environmental justice served?: | No |
| Briefly explain: | According to Toxics Watch Alliance (TWA), a Delhi based Environmental justice organization, the project is a violation of the Supreme Court recommendations. White paper on Pollution has recommended Indian waste be suitable only for biological treatment methods and it recommends treatment of waste at the source by segregation of biodegradable and non-biodegradable. Also, it said that the power generated will be 4 to 5 times costlier than the conventional electricity. Hence it is not feasible to generate electricity from such sources. Projects of similar kinds are failed in other parts of the country. Hence the project in Jalandhar may also not be feasible [2]. On the other hand villagers allege that the government is not concern about the pollution and environmental degradation. So they decided to oppose the project and will never allow the construction of the plant there. However, government officials assured that preventive measures will be taken to protect the environment. An agreement has been signed between the government and the company in this regard. Also, no objection certificate has been issued from the concerned authority after considering all pros and cons [3]. |
Sources & Materials
| Juridical relevant texts related to the conflict (laws, legislations, EIAs, etc) |
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Meta information
| Contributor: | Swapan Kumar Patra |
| Last update | 18/08/2019 |
| Conflict ID: | 1785 |
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