Centre okays proposals worth Rs 860 cr for Bengal under Swachh Bharat

The Union housing and urban affairs ministry has approved proposals worth Rs 860.35 crore for West Bengal under the second phase of the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM), according to a statement issued on Thursday.

According to the ministry, during the first phase of SBM-U (2014-19), a total fund of Rs 911.34 crore was allocated to West Bengal, which has been increased by one-and-a-half times to Rs 1,449.30 crore in SBM-U 2.0 (2021-26).

There are 118 legacy-waste dumpsites in West Bengal, of which only 5 per cent waste has been remediated, the statement said.

The Dhapa landfill, Kolkata's main municipal dumping ground since 1987, has been undergoing biomining and bioremediation, the methods chosen by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) for clearing legacy waste which allow extraction of usable materials from the waste.

"Cities in West Bengal generate around 4,046 tonnes of municipal solid waste per day. Under SBM-U 2.0, the state has proposed projects to manage this huge quantity of waste