KOLHAPUR: The firm assigned to set up the waste-to-energy project at Kasba Bawada on Tuesday assured the civic administration that it would begin processing of 200 tonne of waste per day from January 1.Civic chief Abhijeet Chaudhari had called a meeting of all stakeholders -- investors, contractors -- to find a way out for the stalled project. Sources said 80% work of the plant has been completed and the remaining works which involved fitting of machineries were halted for the past few months, raising doubts over the future of the project which was floated four years ago.The Kolhapur Green Energy Private Limited, the special purpose vehicle (SPV) formed to set up the plant by two investors had not paid Rs 1.25 crore to the sub-contractor which is using its technology to convert the waste into energy.Vijay Patil, chief sanitation inspector of the civic body said after the meeting, "For every tonne of waste to be processed, we have to pay Rs 308 to the investors. We have asked both the major partners to sign an agreement to utilise this money they will get from the service fees to pay the sub-contractor. The agreement should be submitted to the KMC. Both have agreed to the plan which will ensure that the pending works will be completed and the sub-contractor is assured of the amount to be paid to him by the major stakeholders."He further said that Chaudhari has set the deadline of December 31 to commission the plant. "If they fail to start the plant, we will take over it as per the clauses in the agreement. Also, we will initiate the process to appoint a new firm to complete the pending works and carry out operation and maintenance tasks."Several issues pertaining to the project were discussed in the closed-door meeting. Sources said, apart from financial matters, issues related to operation were also discussed.The authorities of the firm claimed that they will ensure that the plant, once commissioned, will be financially viable. The civic body will ensure that each tonne of waste that will be sent to the plant for processing will be properly weighed as the payment for the service have to be made for every tonne of waste.Civic officials have clarified that the waste already piled up at the dumping site will not be processed in the plant, but a capping of the waste will be done. They said most of the piled-up waste is inert and cannot be processed in the plant.

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