Come August, residents of the state capital would get fresh air to breathe in, free of the stench of accumulat- ing garbage.

Bihar Urban Infrastructure Development Corporation (BUIDCo) has selected Jindal-ITF Limited for collection of municipal solid waste, its transportation from the 72 wards of Patna and development of corresponding waste processing facility. The previous contractor, A2Z Infrastructure Private Limited, suspended its operations in nine wards of the state capital in July last year.

Justice V.N. Sinha of Patna High Court on Friday dismissed the petition filed by A2Z Infrastructure Private Limited challenging Patna Municipal Corporation’s decision to issue fresh tenders for carrying out solid waste management work in the state capital, clearing the hurdle in awarding the work contract.

Jindal-ITF is a subsidiary of Jindal SAW Limited, a part of the OP Jindal Group, which among other projects handles Timarpur-Okhla Solid Waste Management Project in Delhi, processing around 8,000 tonnes of waste daily.

In Patna, Jindal-ITF would undertake this project on build-operate-transfer mode at a cost of Rs 110.59 crore under Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission. It would collect wastes from door to door and public bins, treat and dispose municipal solid wastes from all wards. The firm would also develop an integrated solid waste management facility at Bairiya village with a capacity to treat 800-1,500 tonnes of solid waste everyday.

“The board of directors today approved the selection of Jindal-ITF for the Integrated Solid Waste Management Project, Patna, under JNNURM. The corporation would soon release the funds to procure related equipment and mobilisation. Moreover, we intend to start the waste collection system in Patna within a month,” said a senior BUIDCo official.

According to PMC estimates, the per capita per day solid waste generation in Patna is 0.5kg, implying generation of 750 metric tonnes of garbage. The entire volume of this refuse would be transported to the 80-acre landfill site at Ramachak in Bairia village, around 2-3km from the state capital on Patna-Gaya road.

A2Z Infrastructure Private Limited suspended the work of carting garbage from July last year on account of pending payment of Rs 7.5 crore from PMC for 18 months, taking the matter to Patna High Court.