Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) will construct a stadium at Daruthenga village on the city outskirts, even though the village falls under a panchayat and is not directly under BMC's administration. Daruthenga has historically been used by BMC for waste dumping, but the civic body has ceased dumping there and has promised peripheral development to the villagers.
Stadium Construction Details
BMC additional commissioner Kailash Chandra Dash stated, "We will construct a stadium spending more than Rs 6 crore in the village to instill sporting spirit and enhance sports infrastructure. We have already built roads and drains. The stadium was a demand of the villagers as part of peripheral development. The bio-mining of the legacy waste is now ongoing in the village."
Background of Waste Dumping
BMC had been dumping municipal solid waste at the Daruthenga site from 2008 until the end of 2022. Following a directive from the National Green Tribunal (NGT) to the state government to stop open dumping and bio-mine legacy waste, BMC initiated the bio-mining operation in 2023. Officials confirmed that BMC assured villagers that after waste transportation ceased, the old waste would be bio-mined.
Current Progress and Future Plans
Regarding the stadium, Dash added, "For the stadium, we have floated the tender and once the work is awarded to a contractor, construction will begin. We will set an example that we didn't leave the village in a neglected state." BMC has commenced the second phase of bio-mining for 9 lakh metric tonnes of legacy waste at Daruthenga. This phase, combined with the 12 lakh metric tonnes cleared in the past three years, will bring the total legacy waste processed through bio-mining to 21 lakh metric tonnes.
The initiative underscores BMC's commitment to addressing environmental concerns while fostering community development. The stadium project, along with existing infrastructure improvements like roads and drains, aims to transform Daruthenga into a model for peripheral development. The bio-mining process is expected to further mitigate the environmental impact of years of waste accumulation.
