INTRODUCTION – A] History of Phaltan State: Phaltan State Was
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INTRODUCTION – A] History of Phaltan state: Phaltan state was one of the non-salute Maratha princely states of British India, under the central division of the Bombay Presidency, under the states of the Kolhapur-Deccan Residency, Satara agency and later the Deccan States Agency. It was one of the Satara Jahagirs. The state measured 397 square miles (1028km2) in area. According to the 1901 census the population showed a decrease of 31% in the decade at 45,739. The population of the town itself was 9,512 in that year. Un 191 the state enjoyed revenue estimated at £13,000- and paid a tribute to the British Raj of £640. Its flag was rectangular bicolor, orange over green. The Hindu ruling family was descended from Naik Nimbaji Nimbalkar (1284-1291), a Maratha who received a great from a Mughal emperor in the 14th century. The ruler had the title of Raja, or Naik Nimbalkar. The first wife, Saibai, of 17th century emperor Shivaji was from Phaltan. Major HH Raja Bahadur Srimant Malojirao Mudhojirao Nanasaheb Naik Nimbalkar IV was the last Ruler of Phaltan. Phaltan acceded to the Dominion of India on 8 March 1948 and is currently a part of Maharashtra state. B] Geography: Phaltan is located at 17.98 ̊N 74.43 ̊E. It has an average elevation of 568 meters (1,863 feet). Places of interest around Phaltan are: Vimantal (Airport); Goddess Maljai Mandir; Saibaba Mandir; Nimblak (which has been named after Naik-Nimbalkar‟s as Nimblak) and Nimblak Naka, the oldest lace in ancient Phaltan; Dhumalwadi (15km or 9 mi from Phaltan, famous for waterfall) and Jabareshwar Mandir. There are some forts around Phaltan, such as Wadagaum Nimbalkar, Santos gad, Varugad, Mahimangad and Vardhangad. The fort Vaardhangad can be reached from Satara also. Phaltan‟s climate is an inland climate of Maharashtra. The temperature has a relatively high range between 15 to 45 ̊C (59 to113 ̊F). Summer in Phaltan is comparatively hot, and dry, compared to neighboring inland cities. Maximum temperatures exceed 40 ̊C (104 ̊F) every summer and typically range between 38-45 ̊C (100-113 ̊F). Lows during this season are around 25-28 ̊C (77-82 ̊F). The city receives much less rainfall from June to September, and it has been declared as drought-prone place by the Government. The city sometimes gets nil rainfall during the rainy season. Temperatures are significantly higher compared to other cities in Maharashtra such as Pune and Nasik. Lows range from 14-16 ̊C (57-61 ̊F), while highs are in the range of 29- 32 ̊C (84-90 ̊F). Humidity is low in this season, making weather more pleasant. South-west of Phaltan, a dry area begins. Water supply to Phaltan for drinking and irrigation is done by water from Veer Dam on the Nira River. Nira Right Bank Canal (NRBC) flows through Phaltan, making it a partially green town. Dhumalwadi Watallerf Jabareshwar Mandir Demographics As of 2001 India census, Phaltan had a population of 50,798. Males constituted 51% of the population and Females 49%. Phaltan has an average literacy rate of 75%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 80%, and female literacy is 70%. In Phaltan, 12% of the population is under 6 years of age. C] Culture: Phaltan is very ancient city. It has a Temple of shri Ram, who is said to be Gram daivat of the city. There is a Temple of lord shiva, which is called as Jabareshwar Mandir; this temple has beautiful stone carvings. Other temples in the city are Maljai Temple, Nageshwar temple, Sri Dnyaneshwar Mandir, Upalekar Maharaj Samadhi Mandir, Haribaba Samadhi Mandir, Sai mandir in Jadhavwadi. There are many beautiful Jain temples in Phaltan. People of Mahanubhav panth indentify Phaltan as South Kashi. The city has a mosque called Badshahi Masjid. A village named Rajale is home for an ancient temple of goddess Janai. Festivals like Diwali, Ganesh chaturthi and Nagpanchmi are celebrate here, mainly in the mouth of November or December, the annual fair will be celebrated which is called as shri Ram Rathotsav. The idols of Lord Sri Ram and Sita made up of five metals (Panchdhatu) are placed in a decorated raath worshipped and is taken on a procession all over the city this procession is called as Nagar Pradakshina. The city is also an important center for Mahanibhav (Jaykrishni) sampraday. Places of entertainment at Phaltan are: Namvaibhav Theatre; Rajvaibhav Theatre (Both theatres are non operative as of now) and Indira Gandhi Sanskritik Bhavan (For art and culture celebrations). Places for shopping are: Sriram Bazaar, City Bazaar, Local shops near Ambedkar chowk and Shankar market, Sriram mandir. D] Industry: Phaltan Tehsil has two Sugar Factories: New Phaltan Sugar Works ltd., Sakharwadi and Shri Ram Sahakari Sakhar Karkhana pvt. Ltd. Phaltan. Sakharwadi‟s sugar factory is the 2nd sugar factory of Maharashtra and moreover, the 1st private sugar factory in Maharashtra State. Sakharwadi‟s sugar factory is currently run by its own management under guidance of Mr. Prahlad Patil. The Phaltan sugar factory is working under management of Mr. Sanjeevraje Naik Nimbalkar, cousin of Mr. Ramraje Naik Nimbalkar, cabinet minister in state of Krishna Khore. Cumins India ltd. has its 300 acre “mega-site” plant in Phaltan, which is Cumins India Ltd. Phaltan MIDC. E] Transport: Most of the people prefer to use state transport (Government) buses. Private vehicles, auto rickshaws can be used on rent basis. Traffic is quite chaotic, with no signals. Most of the people use two-wheelers or bicycles as a mode of transportation. The city has non-functional airport, 2km (1mile) from city. The airport has a facility to land 1 helicopter at a time. On the other hand, there is no flight landing facility. A few private buses also have daily service to Pune, Mumbai every night, with very affordable rates. There is no railway in Phaltan. The closest railway station is Lonand, 29 kilometers (18 mi) away. New highway construction has occurred from Phaltan to National Highway no. 4 MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT Population Average per capita waste range generation Municipal Solid Waste Management (in millions) gms/capita/day (MSWM) is one among basic 0.1 to 0.5 210 essential services provided by urban 0.5 to 1.0 250 local Bodies in the country to keep 1.0 to 2.0 270 urban centres clean. However it is 2.0 to 5.0 350 one of the poorly rendered services in 5.0 plus 500 the basket. The systems applied are Source: NEERI (1995) unscientific, outdated and inefficient, pollution coverage is low and the poor are marginalized. Waste is littered all over leading to insanitary living conditions. Municipal laws governing the urban local bodies do not have adequate provisions to deal effectively with the ever growing problem of solid waste management. With rapid urbanization and change of lifestyles MSW has become a pressing problem resulting in severe environmental degeneration. The total waste production in urban India is estimated to be 115,000 MT/d (metric tons/day). Per capita generation of waste in Indian cities ranges from 0.2kg-0.6kg per day. An assessment states that the per capita waste generation is increasing by about 1.3%per year. With an urban growth rate of 3-3.5% per annum, the annual increase in waste quantities has been estimated at 5% per annum. As a city expands, changes in life styles result in changes in waste generation characteristics leading to a variation in the average per capita waste generation in a city. According to Ministry of Urban Development, Government of India (MoUD), 72.5 percent of the total solid waste generated in the country is generated in cities with a population of more than 0.1 million, of this the 35 million plus cities account for approximately 35 percent of the total garbage generation. The remaining 3,955 urban centres produce only 17.5 percent of the waste. The collection efficiency ranges between 70 to 90% in major metro cities. In smaller cities it is often below 50%. It has been estimated that the ULBs spend about INR 500 to 1500 per tone on solid waste collection, transportation, treatment and disposal (8 to 25 Euros per tone). About 60- 70% of this amount is spent on street sweeping, 20-30% on transportation, and less than 5% on final disposal of waste, which shows that hardly any attention is given to scientific disposal of waste. In practice, this means that the final disposal of MSW is mainly uncontrolled. Municipal Solid Waste Management (MSWM) being the statutory responsibility of the Urban Local Bodies (ULBs), it is usually looked after by the Public Health and Sanitation Department, as one of its many fold duties. However on a pan India scale till about a decade ago, most ULBs did not have the adequate infrastructure or funds to cater to the various systems needed to manage a good municipal waste management system including collection, transportation, storage, processing and disposal. Technological options for proper treatment and scientific disposal of municipal waste were also largely unknown till about a decade ago. All Indian households segregate and sell dry waste to the informal recyclers (kabariwala). Thus most waste that has a perceived market value like newspapers, magazines, metal, glass bottles, plastic bottles/material, etc. Is sold and recently emerging and waste is often littered or dump into community bins or on road side dumps. Once the waste leaves the house, the rag-pickers come into action. The waste is shifted through by the rag-pickers and most recyclables are collected from the community bins, the road sides or the city dumps and sold to the local vender for recycling.