Bhubaneswar, April 19: Two projects are still hanging fire and the municipal corporation has come up with a third one to woo villagers of Daruthenga near Bhuasuni on the city outskirts.

This time the promise is to set up a park that will act as green barrier between the village and the dumping ground.

The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation is yet to establish the proposed waste-to-energy plant and a plastic waste management unit at Bhuasuni, but it did not deter the authorities from talking about the proposed park near the dumping site.

Bhuasuni remained the central focus of the civic body since Daruthenga villagers had locked the dumping ground in February. They alleged that the civic body had been dumping garbage in an irregular manner and it had resulted in the wastewater entering the village.

"Residing here had become unbearable due to the improper dumping of garbage. The civic body has no system of dumping - it resulted in wastewater flowing into our village. This exposed us to several diseases," said Daruthenga resident Tapan Kumar Chakraborty.

The agitation resulted in pilling of garbage across the city.

In mid-March, the Odisha State Pollution Control Board served a showcause notice on the corporation asking why the garbage was not being shifted from the temporary station at Sainik School to the designated dumping site at Bhuasuni. Following the notice, the civic body, along with state government officials, held a discussion with the Daruthenga villagers and this helped end the deadlock at the yard.

Besides, the corporation had then formed a committee to look into the villagers' problems and promised them that the dumping ground would be shifted to Tulasipur mouza after getting approval from the board. The villagers were demanding shifting of the dumping site to Tulasipur mouza, nearly 3km from the present dumping ground.

"The officials have assured us that the dumping yard will be shifted to Tulasipur, which is the right place to dump garbage," said Daruthenga sarpanch Prashant Kumar Routray.

City engineer of the civic body Dweepayan Patnaik said a high-level meeting was convened yesterday regarding development of the Bhuasuni Vatika, the proposed park to be named after the locality.

"We will co-ordinate with the forest development corporation and execute the project at Daruthenga. The aims would be to develop a green forest rather than providing any amusement option," said Patnaik.

Sources said the park initiative came as an alternative solution to the dumping ground issue. Notably, top officials of civic body and the state government had, in March, also convened a meeting and announced that the villagers' demands would be fulfilled.

The park would be developed on 12 acres and mostly have fast-growing forest species.

Municipal commissioner Krishan Kumar has written to the Odisha Forest Development Corporation that Bhuasuni Vatika would act as a green buffer between the dumping ground of the municipal corporation and the neighbouring village.

He asked the civic body officials to come up with a detailed project report for sanction of funds. "It is further requested that eight to 10 years old trees may be planted," said Kumar.

According to the plan, the civic body's environment officer Bikram Keshari Routray will act as the project's nodal officer.

"A detailed project report will be prepared to develop the park and placed shortly before the authorities for its execution. I will mainly look after the plantation," said Routray.

Earlier, mayor Ananta Narayan Jena had said the corporation would take all-round care of the villages and ensure proper dumping of garbage. He had also said the green cover would provide a solution to the people as well as the environment.

However, the slew of assurances made to Bhuasuni villagers are yet to be implemented.

The corporation had, in 2008, earmarked the Bhuasuni mouza for dumping of solid waste and also decided to construct a waste treatment as well as a waste-to-energy plant. The villagers were also assured of employment in the proposed projects. According to the civic body officials, project report of the waste-to-energy plant need to be revised.

"The earlier project report was faulty. Our officials will come up with a revised project report and then only work will begin," said an official.

On the other hand, the plastic waste treatment plant, too, is in need of a roadmap for execution.

"Talks with the rag pickers' association, forest and environment department and the pollution control board were going on for setting up the plastic waste treatment plant. A third party consultant will be hired to take care of the training and orientation of the rag pickers about segregation and management of plastic waste. We need a financial assistance of Rs 1.4 crore for preparation of a project report. The money is yet to be released," said the official.