Going green: Soon, waste generated at Bodyguard Lines to fuel its kitchen

KOLKATA: The state pollution control board’s (PCB) successful experiment of converting kitchen waste and horse excrement into energy at the Barrackpore police academy has sparked interest among other police establishments and academic institutions to gainfully utilize the waste they generate. Kolkata Police, too, has decided to replicate the model with the Bodyguard Lines, one of the biggest property of Kolkata Police in the heart of the city.

Earlier, at the Barrackpore Police Academy, the PCB had set up a conventional methane gas production plant by using the kitchen waste produced at the institute.The methane produced is currently used as cooking gas in the kitchen. Its success prompted assistant director general (training) Somen Mitra to request the board to look into the viability of utilizing the biomass from the horse stable to also generate energy. “We have set up a modular unit that is generating methane, which is then being used to boil grams consumed by the horses,” said PCB chairman Kalyan Rudra.
At the Bodyguard Lines in Alipore, the idea is to turn as eco friendly as possible. Board officials have had preliminary discussions with joint commissioners of police Neloo Sherpa and Praveen Kumar Tripathi. “We are beginning with segregated garbage collection and will progress in stages,” said an officer at Lalbazar.
The PCB is also installing such units at Ramakrishna Mission (RKM) schools in Jhargram and Narendrapur. Work is under way to install a modular unit at the Ekalavya School in Jhargram that is now under the RKM administration. On RKM’s Narendrapur campus, two units have been proposed as the kitchens are located in different spots.
Rudra said the board was willing to extend financial aid to government and non-profit organisations for such projects. “We can also offer technical support to private organisations if they need it,” the board chairman said.