AMC’s ₹25 cr radiation plant in Pirana built in 2016, lacks licence to sell fertiliser

Amdavad Municipal Corporation (AMC) had constructed a 1,500 KCI Gamma Radiation Sludge Hygienisation Plant in Pirana in 2016, aimed at converting treated sewage sludge into fertiliser using radiation technology. 

Although the plant was established at a cost of ₹25 crore, it has not received a licence to sell the produced fertiliser in the open market, even after eight years of operation.

The most surprising aspect is that despite no confirmation on whether this type of fertiliser could ever be approved for sale, the AMC went ahead and built the plant. 

The plant was designed with a daily production capacity of 100 tonnes, but currently, only about 3 to 5 tonnes are being produced per day. This limited production is largely used within AMC’s own gardens and plantation drives, while most of the stock remains unused.

After the plant was commissioned, AMC applied to the central government for a licence to sell the fertiliser, but approval is still pending. About three years ago, AMC made improvements to the plant in collaboration with BARC (Bhabha Atomic Research Centre), introducing new crusher technology. However, the fertiliser produced from human waste currently does not fall under any official category as per the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. A new category would need to be created, and until then, a sales licence is unlikely to be granted.

The plant, set up under the corporation’s Sewage Treatment Division and once overseen by then-chairman Praveen Patel, incurs monthly maintenance expenses of ₹11.81 lakh. Due to the lack of full-scale production and sale, the cost per unit of fertiliser has increased significantly, making the operation economically unviable. Essentially, the plant is being kept running just to cover operational and maintenance expenses.

Sources indicate that for the past two years, AMC officials have been waiting for the required licence.