Guwahati: A plastic waste management unit (PWMU) set up under the Chhaygaon Legislative Assembly Constituency in Assam’s Kamrup district has remained defunct barely two months after its inauguration, raising questions over the use of public funds, officials and local organisations said.
The unit was inaugurated on July 25, 2023, with the stated objective of strengthening plastic waste collection and recycling in the area. However, sources said the facility stopped operations within two months of becoming functional and has not resumed work since.
Officials attributed the shutdown to mechanical failure. While technical problems can occur, members of the Chhaygaon Students’ Union expressed concern that the unit has remained non-operational for nearly two years without any visible effort by the authorities to repair or revive it.
The prolonged closure has triggered criticism of the state government’s development claims, particularly as the project involved expenditure of several lakh rupees from public funds. During its brief operational period, the unit collected plastic waste from nearby villages and carried out recycling activities, helping improve waste management in the locality.
The suspension of operations has disrupted plastic waste disposal in the area and raised questions over planning, maintenance and accountability in government-funded projects, local residents said.
Officials had earlier organised training programmes on operation and maintenance of the unit under the Chhaygaon development block. During the training, authorities distributed tricycles for plastic waste collection to the concerned gaon panchayats.
Local residents and student bodies have now urged the authorities to intervene immediately, either by restoring the unit to working condition or by clarifying its future. They warned that continued inaction would amount to a serious misuse of public resources.