New location of biogas plant at Noida Sector 123 angers residents

After residents protested against the setting up of an automatic compressed biogas (CBG) plant in Sector 123, the Noida authority announced that they might shift the plant to another location that was supposed to be the site for a sewage treatment plant (STP).

However, residents still feel cheated as the new location is now just across the road within the same sector. The only difference is that while the previous site was less than 200 metres from the residential area, it is now about 500 metres away.

“The authority just fooled us by saying the CBG plant is being shifted. Actually, the new proposed site is just across the road. It will still be a problem for the residents in neighbouring areas as the distance is not much. They just need to search for a location that is some distance away from residential areas. There are many such pockets in Noida,” said Anupam Oberoi, a resident of Sector 122.

In its board meeting on Monday, the Noida authority decided that the site earmarked for the CBG plant will now be reserved for a sports complex, and the land earmarked for the STP may be used for setting up a high-tech CBG plant.

“This entire sector is reserved for utilities. This is why they are planning waste remediation, STPs and other such utilities here. However, having any kind of waste treatment plant so close to residential abadi areas is only going to be harmful to the health of the people who live around it. Nowhere in the world do we see waste treatment happening in the backyards of residential areas,” said Abhay Pandey, a resident of Sector 121.

Meanwhile, authority officials said that while this alternative land across the road has been proposed for the CBG plant, it is not confirmed yet. “There will be an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) done to check if it is feasible to have the plant at this site or not. The plant will be set up here only after the EIA report is clear about the location,” said SC Mishra, senior project engineer, Noida authority.

Around four years ago, residents from neighbouring areas held a month-long protest against turning the same plot of land into a dumping ground as it was too close to residential areas. The land earmarked for the biogas plant at Sector 123 was earlier meant for a waste remediation site, which was less than 200 metres away from high-rise societies in Sector 121 and villages such as Sorkha. After several protests by residents and villagers and discussions with senior authorities and political leaders, the dumping ground was shifted from Sector 123 to Sector 145. Interestingly, shifting the dumping ground from Sector 123 was also listed as one of the top achievements of the recently re-elected Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Pankaj Singh during his election campaigns.