The proposed compressed biogas project by GAIL (Gas Authority of India Limited) on the outskirts of Mandoli village in Belagavi has encountered significant uncertainty following robust opposition from local residents and an assurance from Women and Child Welfare Minister Laxmi Hebbalkar that she would not permit the project to proceed in the area.
Background of the Project
The Belagavi City Corporation (BCC) had identified approximately nine acres of land at Mandoli for the biogas project. Representatives from GAIL had reportedly finalized the site after initial surveys. However, the future of the project has become precarious after the minister intervened in response to mounting local resistance.
Local Concerns and Meeting with Minister
Over 100 villagers from Mandoli and the neighboring Hangaraga area met Minister Hebbalkar on Sunday, urging her to block the project. They expressed concerns about potential foul odors, environmental pollution, and long-term health hazards associated with the waste-processing unit. The villagers categorically opposed the project and demanded its immediate cancellation.
Following the meeting, members of the delegation claimed that the minister assured them that the proposed biogas project would not be allowed in Mandoli village. This assurance has brought relief to the residents, who had been worried about the impact on their community.
Technical and Administrative Aspects
According to sources, GAIL had sought at least 10 acres of contiguous land at a single location to set up the plant and had offered to bear the entire cost of the project. After local authorities finalized the land parcel, steps were reportedly initiated to transfer the revenue department land to the city corporation before handing it over to GAIL for the project.
BCC had been exploring the biogas project as an alternative waste-management solution amid sustained opposition to the existing garbage disposal depot at Turmuri. However, locals of Mandoli and Hangaraga are resisting the proposal, making the future of the project uncertain.
