Bihar: JD(U) seeks funds from Centre for better management of e-waste

The JD U leader further said, The Centre should provide adequate funds to the state to prepare a scheme for preventing the disposal of e-waste into Ganga, which is a national heritage, and maintaining ecological balance.

Bihar's ruling party Janata Dal (United) on Wednesday said it is seeking adequate funds from the Centre for addressing the issue of burgeoning volume of electronic waste in the state.

In a statement, senior JD(U) leader and former MLC Ranbir Nandan said the Union government should initiate steps and provide adequate funds to the state for regulating the e-waste. ''According to a report, the per capita e-waste stands at 100 to 200 grams in the state and the total volume is over one lakh tonne per annum,'' he said. The estimated growth of e-waste in the state in the last nine years was roughly 500 per cent, which was ''alarming'', he said.

''Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar apprehended the alarming rise of e-waste much earlier and started its estimation in 2013. ''The average volume of e-waste then was estimated at 23,000 tonnes in four cities alone,'' Nadan said, adding that the river Ganga, which has a span of 445 kilometres in Bihar, has been polluted due to the disposal of e-waste in the holy river. The JD (U) leader further said, ''The Centre should provide adequate funds to the state to prepare a scheme for preventing the disposal of e-waste into Ganga, which is a national heritage, and maintaining ecological balance. Approximately, 1.25 lakh tonne of e-waste is likely to be generated by the end of this year as per an estimate.'' The Nitish Kumar government has set up over 150 waste collection centres throughout the state and the agencies involved in it have been made responsible for the segregation of e-waste.

The Centre and the other agencies will have to make proper planning to dispose of the waste material, he said.

''The CM has framed schemes under the Jal Jivan Hariyali project to develop the natural resources. It is imperative to prepare guidelines at the national level, taking a cue from the model evolved by the chief minister,'' he said. The Central Pollution Control Board framed guidelines for mobile companies under the e-waste management policy in 2016. It needs to be implemented effectively throughout the country, the JD (U) leader added.

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