Puttur civic body converts wet waste into BioCNG to operate 6 vehicles
In a rare initiative in Karnataka, Puttur City Municipal Council in Dakshina Kannada district has been converting wet waste into Bio Compressed Natural Gas (BioCNG) with the help of a private company. The BioCNG is being used to operate six vehicles of the municipality.
The BioCNG is generated by Krishna Muliya Green Energy LLP in a plant at Bannur.
Now, the municipality and Krishna Muliya Green Energy LLP are planning to sell surplus BioCNG to potential consumers.
Municipality Commissioner Madhu S. Manohar told The Hindu that the plant was set up by Krishna Muliya Green Energy LLP under Build, Own, Operate and Transfer (BOOT) model on civic land. The plant was financed and is being operated by the LLP. The firm will have to hand over the plant to the municipality after 40 years.
'The plant produced over 24,000 k.g of BioCNG since August, 2024,' the Commissioner said adding that it produced between 200 kg and 250 kg of gas daily. 'Our target is to produce 350 kg of gas every day,' he said.
Mr. Manohar said that about 12 tonnes of wet waste is generated in the jurisdiction of the municipality daily. The municipality diverted 10 tonnes of wet waste for producing BioCNG. The remaining two tonnes of waste is not fit for use in the plant because it contains some mixed waste. Wet waste has to be segregated if it is to be used for generating gas. Hence, the two tonnes are being used for composting.
Krishna Narayana Muliya, Managing Director, Krishna Muliya Green Energy LLP, said that the firm joined hands with the municipality as a social service without commercial interest as the venture is not remunerative. 'Preparations are on to sell the unused BioCNG to people,' Mr. Muliya said.
Retap Solutions Private Limitdd, Mangaluru has provided technical solutions for the project.
The Commissioner said that, with a growing population and increasing waste generation, Puttur city faces a mounting challenge in managing municipal solid waste, particularly biodegradable wet waste. Recognising the environmental and economic potential of organic waste, the municipality adopted innovative solutions to convert it into BioCNG, a renewable and eco-friendly energy source.
By leveraging cutting-edge technology, the municipality processes organic waste, such as food scrap, vegetable peels, and garden trimmings, into high-quality BioCNG. This not only helps in reduce the dependency on fossil fuels but also mitigates the harmful impact of improper waste disposal, such as greenhouse gas emissions and soil contamination.
'The initiative is the first of its kind among urban local bodies in Karnataka,' Mr. Manohar said.
'We have been getting enquiries from a few other urban local bodies in the State seeking details with the intention of replicating the process in their cities,' the Commissioner said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
an hour ago
- The Hindu
Gender Agenda Newsletter: The missing women in politics
Last week, the World Economic Forum released its Global Gender Gap Index Report 2025. While India's performance in three of the four dimensions — economic participation and opportunity; educational attainment; health and survival — is either stable or has marginally improved, the significant lack of achievement in the fourth — political empowerment — 'weighs down the overall result,' says The Hindu editorial. Last year, as this explainer pointed out, 40% of the MPs elected to the House of Commons in the U.K. were women, while the South African National Assembly has around 45% women representation. In India, however, representation of women in the Lok Sabha is only 14%. In State Legislative Assemblies, it is even lower with the national average being around 9%. Many women leaders, especially at the panchayat level, tend to be figure heads, with the power being wielded by their husbands or fathers. At a glance, the data does seem odd given that India has had several powerful women politicians, including a Prime Minister. Today, the Union Finance Minister and the Chief Ministers of at least two large/politically significant States — Delhi and West Bengal — are women. Women have also become an important vote bank over the years. Recognising this, political parties have been 'actively wooing' them by providing subsidies for gas connections, cash transfers, and income support schemes, pointed out Nistula Hebbar in this video, before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. She said, 'Studies by CSTS (Centre for Studies of Tradition and Systems) and Axis India have shown that women are voting increasingly according to their individual and not family preferences.' These are signs of empowerment. Why then are women, who are more educated than before and who are voting in larger numbers, not represented in politics? In a 2004 paper, professor Rajeshwari Deshpande wrote that political parties believe that women candidates have a lower winning ability than men; in 2018, former Chief Election Commissioner S.Y. Quraishi said that this belief continues to be held even though it flies in the face of data. Also, elections are an expensive affair and many women continue to remain financially dependent on their families. The political scientist, Kanchan Chandra, wrote in a chapter in the 2016 book, Democratic Dynasties: State, Party and Family in Contemporary Indian Politics, that women, even when they are represented in politics, tend to be from political families. Structural barriers and societal bias are other widely cited factors as well. The Women's Reservation Bill, which promises 33% reservation to women in the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies, raises hope of greater political empowerment, but it will be implemented only after 2029. Until then, every small step counts in pushing women closer to decision-making positions in political bodies. In Tamil Nadu, panchayatars are increasingly compelled to consult women before taking major decisions, reported Nacchinarkkiniyan M. The IAS officer, Uma Mahadevan Dasgupta, wrote, 'One important way to improve women's participation in gram sabhas is with the involvement of women's self-help groups.' Last week, Telangana Jagruthi president K. Kavitha announced that the organisation will provide political training to youth, women, and students who do not have any political background. At times, reel life stories could do the trick too. This March, Asli Pradhan Kaun? — a three-part web series, which is an extension of the popular show Panchayat — was made in collaboration with the Panchayati Raj Ministry. At the local body level, one-third of the seats are reserved for women, with 22 States reserving 50% of seats. In Asli Pradhan Kaun?, Manju Devi, the reluctant, submissive pradhan in Panchayat, was no longer shown as a titular head but as an assertive leader. Within 48 hours of its release, the series had three million views. The hope is that Manju Devis across India will come into their own. Toolkit On June 17, UN Women released the 2024 Afghanistan Gender Index, which it described as 'the most comprehensive assessment of women's empowerment and gender equality in Afghanistan since August 2021 [when the Taliban took power].' The findings of the report are stark. Afghanistan has the second-widest gender gap in the world, with a 76% disparity between outcomes for women and men across health, education, financial inclusion, and decision-making. It also has one of the largest gender gaps in labour force participation. Men are three times more likely than women to have a bank account or use mobile money services. No woman holds positions in the de facto Cabinet or in local offices. Wordsworth Gender-affirming care: According to the World Health Organization, this encompasses a range of social, psychological, behavioural, and medical interventions 'designed to support and affirm an individual's gender identity' when it conflicts with the gender they were assigned at birth. The interventions fall along a continuum, from counselling to changes in social expression to medications such as hormone therapy. Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a Tennessee state law banning gender-affirming care for minors can stand. Ouch! A Nair woman took leave from the job given by the Kerala government to go abroad in search of a thing and she got what she deserved... Don't you know the history of Nair women? K. Rajan, now-suspended Revenue Department official in Kerala, referring to a Malayali nurse who died in the Air India crash People we met Shasvathi Siva, a creative consultant and writer based in Mumbai, is the author of the book Divorce is Normal. Determined to de-stigmatise divorce, she started using social media platforms a few years ago to put out the message that people should be able to speak more freely about divorce. She says, 'It is extremely difficult for women to get a divorce in India. Divorced women are viewed differently from divorced men: it's harder for them to marry a second time, find a house, or travel since there is so much judgment attached to their relationship status. I feel women need more encouragement and support and should definitely not be feeling so guilty about obtaining a divorce.' Shasvathi's views have appealed to many women struggling in bad marriages. She says her messages have not only been received well by many on social media, but have also led to changes in the way her own extended family views divorce.
Scroll.in
17 hours ago
- Scroll.in
DGCA tells Air India to remove three employees for lapses in crew scheduling
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation on Saturday ordered Air India to remove three officials, including a senior executive part of the flight operations department, from all roles related to crew rostering, The Hindu reported, citing an order. The action was initiated for 'systemic failures' and 'multiple violations concerning flight crew being scheduled and operated despite lapses in licensing, rest, and recency requirements', the newspaper quoted the order as stating. The airline was also directed to initiate internal disciplinary proceedings against the three officials within 10 days. An Air India spokesperson confirmed that the directives had been implemented, PTI reported. The spokesperson stated that the company's chief operations officer will also directly oversee the Integrated Operations Control Centre, which is the airline's operational hub responsible for coordinating flight operations, crew rosters and ensuring compliance with safety and regulatory standards. 'Air India is committed to ensuring total adherence to safety protocols and standard practices,' said the spokesperson. According to The Hindu, the alleged violations came to light during a review following the airline's switch to a new crew scheduling software, which was implemented in May last year. #DGCA penalises #AirIndia scheduling and rostering key officials for "repeated and serious violations" and asks for them, including a Divisional VP, to be removed from their posts. Pilots and Crew have long complained about their flying rosters, lack of sufficient rest time &… — barkha dutt (@BDUTT) June 21, 2025 Among those facing disciplinary action is Choorah Singh, the divisional vice president of the Integrated Operations Control Centre, which is the airline's operational hub responsible for coordinating flight operations, crew rosters and ensuring compliance with safety and regulatory standards. The other two persons are Pinky Mittal, the chief manager in the Directorate of Operations, and Payal Arora, who is also involved in rostering, Hindustan Times reported. The directive comes days after Air India's Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft, which was en route to London's Gatwick airport from Ahmedabad, crashed just 33 seconds after taking off on June 12. This is being viewed as the world's worst aviation disaster in a decade. There were 242 people aboard the aircraft. One passenger survived with ' impact injuries '. Thirty-four persons were also killed on the ground after the plane crashed into the hostel building of the BJ Medical College and Hospital in Ahmedabad, according to Air India. On Wednesday, the airline said that it will reduce its international services that use widebody aircraft by 15% for the 'next few weeks' to ensure operational stability.
The Hindu
17 hours ago
- The Hindu
Bike taxi riders stage silent protest at Vidhan Soudha in Bengaluru
A group of bike taxi riders assembled in front of Vidhan Soudha in Bengaluru for a silent protest on June 21 against the government of Karnataka for not supporting their business. They want the government of Karnataka to frame rules for bike taxis. Bike taxi riders protest in Bengaluru On June 16, app-based bike taxi operations were told to stop operations across Karnataka, following the refusal of the High Court to stay an earlier order mandating the suspension of such services unless the State introduces regulatory norms under the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988. On June 13, a Division Bench of the High Court upheld a single judge order dated April 2, which had directed all bike taxi services to wind up operations within six weeks. The move is believed to have affect thousands of riders and commuters. An executive of a leading bike taxi aggregator platform, speaking on condition of anonymity, claimed that over six lakh individuals in Karnataka depend on bike taxi gigs for their livelihood. 'Most of them earn around ₹35,000 a month, and this ban could push many families into financial distress,' the official claimed. Adi Narayana, president of the Bike Taxi Welfare Association, said many riders are approaching the association's offices seeking clarity on their future. 'Most of our captains have EMIs to pay, families to feed, and rent to cover. This is not just about losing a job, it's about losing the ability to survive. Will the government offer any support?' On June 21, some of the affected bike taxi riders turned up in front of Vidhan Soudha for a silent protest. Some of them had come from as far as Nelamangala, Hoskote, Mandya, and Ramanagara. One of them told The Hindu, 'I work in Peenya industrial estate in Bengaluru. My wife works as a maid. We have two children. I was working part-time for a bike taxi operator to supplement my income. Bengaluru is an expensive city, and I could not afford to take care of my family with my salary.' The bike riders had come together for the protest on their own, and were not led by any organisation. On seeing bike taxi riders gathering in front of Vidhan Soudha, police advised them to disperse saying they could not stage a protest at the site without permission. Some of the protesters were taken into custody while the others were told to disperse, or risk arrest. One bike taxi rider told The Hindu, 'We were not aware that we needed permission to protest in front of Vidhan Soudha in Bengaluru. We will come again. Police advised us to taken permission and protest at Freedom Park in Bengaluru.' Following the ban on their operations, a Rapido spokesperson had said, 'This is a difficult time for our captains, who depend on us for their main source of income. They have played a key role in enabling affordable, last-mile transportation for millions across Karnataka.' The company stated that it is actively engaging with the Karnataka Transport Department to develop a regulatory framework that is not only lawful, but also viable for all stakeholders involved. It stressed that the safety of commuters and the well-being of gig workers will continue to be at the heart of its approach. 'We remain optimistic that ongoing discussions with the authorities will lead to a balanced policy framework, similar to those in other States and Union Territories,' the spokesperson had added.
