The empowered PMC standing committee on Wednesday decided to start the equipment procurement process under the Patna waste management project.

The decision refutes the recent claim of urban development and housing minister Samrat Choudhary of taking back the Rs 23-crore fund meant for the project.

A day after Patna High Court judge V.N. Sinha conferred the “dirtiest state capital in the country” tag on Patna, the approval under the solid waste management project is a silver lining for residents, who deserve a clean city.

Informing about the decision on procurement of waste management equipment, mayor Afzal Imam said: “The empowered standing committee on Wednesday gave its approval to the recommendation of the procurement committee on purchase of the required equipment under the solid waste management project,”

He added: “The approval, however, has been given with a stipulation that only municipal commissioner would be considered responsible in case of any discrepancy in the procurement of equipment in the later stages.”

When The Telegraph asked minister Choudhary about the decision in the civic body despite his earlier claims of taking back the project, he said: “I had only issued orders for taking back the funds released to the PMC under the project. But now, that they have taken a decision to start executing the project by procuring the equipment, I would re-consider my earlier decision to take back the project from them.”

Choudhary on Tuesday had said the solid waste management project has been taken back from Patna Municipal Corporation (PMC) by the department as the civic body failed to make any progress in executing the project.

Municipal commissioner Kuldip Narayan said the work order would be issued soon to the selected firms. “We have selected the firms who would supply the equipment. The work order would be placed as soon as we get a written approval of the standing committee,” said Narayan.