Visakhapatnam: Corporation plans to set up poultry waste rendering plant

Visakhapatnam: In a step to crack down on chicken waste mafia, the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) plans to set up a poultry waste rendering plant.

Currently, about 15 metric tonnes of chicken waste is being generated in GVMC limits. The corporation is spending lakhs of rupees to dispose of chicken waste and transporting them to the dumping yard at Kapuluppada, inviting tenders.

However, in quite a long time, the chicken waste is getting diverted to several fish and prawn ponds rather than heading to the designated dumping yard. It has become a main business for the top-notch corporation officials along with a few political leaders and agency contractors.It may be recalled that The Hans India newspaper published a news article under the banner ‘Instead of dumpyard, chicken waste being diverted illegally’ on June 3, flagging the mafia involved in illegal transportation of tonnes of chicken waste.

Responding to the article, the tenders called for chicken waste transportation have been called off the next day. District Collector and GVMC in-charge Commissioner MN Harendhira Prasad cancelled the old tenders on June 4. In order to cut down repetition of illegal transportation of chicken waste, the GVMC has charted out plans to establish a poultry waste rendering plant under public-private-partnership mode.

To make the project a reality, about 5 acres of land is required. Soon after the land gets allocated for the purpose, work related to the plant will commence.

The new plant will not only aid in disposing the daily in a scientific manner but also curb illegal transportation to various places. For a long time, chicken waste has been illegally reaching fish ponds and its improper disposal is impacting the environment, water

bodies gravely.