Srinagar, September 28: The Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly was informed on Monday that the proposed ₹361-crore, 800-tonnes-per-day Integrated Solid Waste Management Project at Achan, Srinagar, is at the tendering stage, while 10 km of internal channels and waterways of Dal Lake and adjoining lake interiors have been cleaned or dredged over the past three years. The House was also informed about ongoing health infrastructure projects in Bani and Bandipora constituencies and the status of beneficiary inclusion under PMAY-G.
The information was provided by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Health and Medical Education Minister Sakeena Itoo and Agriculture Production, Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Minister Javid Ahmad Dar during Question Hour of the ongoing Autumn Session.
₹361-cr integrated waste project at Achan at tendering stage
Replying to a question by MLA Mubarik Gul, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who is also Minister Incharge Housing & Urban Development, said the proposed 800 TPD Integrated Solid Waste Management Project at Achan has an estimated cost of ₹361 crore.
The project has a 25-year timeline, including 24 months for construction. It comprises composting facilities, a Bio-CBG plant, Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs), a Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) facility, scientific sanitary landfill, transfer stations, leachate management infrastructure and other ancillary environmental infrastructure.
The Chief Minister said no agency or contractor has been allotted the project so far as it remains under the tendering process.
Meanwhile, the Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) is undertaking measures for scientific management of municipal waste, environmental protection and remediation of legacy waste at Achan pending commissioning of the new project.
The SMC currently manages around 500–550 TPD of municipal solid waste generated within Srinagar municipal limits through collection, transportation, processing and disposal. It has achieved 100 per cent door-to-door collection across all wards, while source segregation stands at around 60 per cent.
More than 380 waste collection and transportation vehicles have been deployed and over 2,700 sanitation workers engaged for collection, transportation and sanitation services.
At Achan, a 100 TPD Material Recovery Facility has been established for segregation and recovery of recyclable materials such as plastics, paper, cardboard and metals.
An 85 TPD wet-waste processing plant has also been established at Achan for scientific processing of segregated wet and biodegradable municipal waste.
On legacy waste, the Chief Minister said biomining and bioremediation of approximately 11 lakh metric tonnes has been taken up. The work has been awarded to a specialised agency, with windrow formation and associated civil works underway.
A 60 KLD leachate treatment plant is also under construction.
A 125 TPD Construction & Demolition Waste Management Facility is being established at Achan under SBM-U 2.0. The work has been awarded, civil works completed, and mechanical works and equipment installation are in progress.
10 km of Dal Lake channels dredged in three years
Replying to a question by MLA Tanvir Sadiq, Omar Abdullah said 10 km of internal channels and waterways of Dal Lake and adjoining lake interiors have been cleaned or dredged during the last three years.
He said further dredging of priority channels is being undertaken using departmentally owned machinery, while regular manual deweeding and solid-waste collection are also being carried out.
During the current financial year, mechanical dredging has been undertaken in several channels, including the channel from Dol Damb to Meena Bazar through Angraz Hut and two main channels in Khushalsar—from Saidipora Bridge to Firdousabad Colony and Sazgiripora. Dredging and deepening of the main Gilsar has also been almost completed.
On sewage inflows into Dal and Nigeen lakes, the Chief Minister said sewage from the periphery and adjoining areas, as well as houseboats, is being treated through five Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs).
These include the 16.10 MLD Brari-Numbal STP, 5.4 MLD Nallah Amir Khan STP, 7.5 MLD Hazratbal STP, 3.2 MLD Habak STP and 4.5 MLD Laam STP.
A 30 MLD STP at Gupt Ganga is also being constructed and is scheduled for completion within two years. It will cater to the northern side of Dal Lake.
The Chief Minister said Khushalsar and Gilsar were taken up by the Lakes Conservation and Management Authority (LCMA) in 2025, while construction of the sewerage network around the lakes has been assigned to the Urban Environmental Engineering Department (UEED).
Interior channels including Jogi Lanker-Rainawari, Chowdary Bagh, Naidyaar, Sabzi Market and Lamba Mohalla are being continuously cleared through manual deweeding and collection of solid waste. These channels were also dredged during 2023-24, he said.
50 health institutions functioning in Bani
Health and Medical Education Minister Sakeena Itoo informed the House, in reply to a question by MLA Dr Rameshwar Singh, that 50 health institutions are currently functional in Bani Constituency.
Of these, 19 are operating from private or rented accommodation, while the remaining institutions are functioning from their own buildings.
She said construction of the Health Sub-Centre at Bhakoga is currently under execution under NABARD funding. The Government intends to provide its own buildings to the remaining health institutions in a phased manner, subject to availability of suitable land and resources.
The Minister also said the Health and Medical Education Department had received the J&K Public Service Commission selection list of 416 Medical Officers, of whom appointment orders for 335 had been issued. Their postings will be made according to requirements.
Vacancies among non-gazetted staff have also been referred to the concerned recruiting agencies, she said.
Four healthcare workers from Bani Constituency have been attached, deployed or relocated during the last two years, the Minister informed the House.
PMAY-G: 4,250 system-flagged cases recommended for deletion
Minister for Agriculture Production, Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Javid Ahmad Dar informed the Assembly, in reply to a question by MLA Mian Mehar Ali, that the Government is undertaking the PMAY-G Awaas+ 2024 beneficiary inclusion process in accordance with Government of India guidelines.
He said no eligible household or individual had been deliberately or officially rejected or deleted from the Awaas+ 2024 survey at this stage.
Some deserving households are not appearing in the Draft Permanent Wait List (PWL), apparently due to automated scrutiny, validation and eligibility checks, he said, adding that the final PWL has not yet been generated.
The Minister said complaints regarding exclusion of eligible households because of technical or system-generated flags or errors in the Awaas mobile application had been received. Such cases are being verified and re-verified by field functionaries.
However, 4,250 system-flagged cases have been recommended for deletion after verification at Block and District levels, in accordance with guidelines issued by the Ministry of Rural Development.
Javid Dar said there is currently no prescribed provision for direct incorporation or re-inclusion of left-out or deleted beneficiaries in the PMAY-G beneficiary list.
Gram Sabhas have been conducted in concerned Panchayats to identify and verify genuine households that may have been left out during the survey or re-verification process, he said. The Draft Permanent Wait List is being prepared on the basis of these proceedings.
31 health institutions functioning in Bandipora
Sakeena Itoo separately informed the House, in reply to a question by MLA Nizam-ud-din Bhat, that 31 healthcare institutions are currently functioning in Bandipora Constituency, including the District Hospital, ANMT School, PHCs, NTPHCs and Health & Wellness Centres.
She said three health infrastructure projects are presently under execution in the constituency.
The Minister said 466 non-gazetted posts under the Directorate of Health Services, Kashmir, have also been referred to the recruiting agency.
She clarified that no health institution in the constituency has been abandoned according to available records.
NTPHC Quil Muqam is fully functional, while NTPHC Wular Lake is likely to be completed by the end of the current financial year. District Hospital Bandipora is also fully functional, she said.
