Jaipur, July 16 -- Rajasthan has removed over 7.4 million tonnes of legacy waste from dumpsites across the state, reclaiming 729 acres of urban land under a clean-up project covering 230 cities, officials said. The initiative is being implemented by the directorate of local bodies under Swachh Bharat Mission 2.0 in cities like Jaipur, Jodhpur, Kota, Ajmer, Udaipur and smaller towns. Director, local bodies, Juikar Prateek Chandrashekhar, said, "In the first phase, 138 towns were selected and the total amount of waste remediated is 74 lakh tonnes. The 729 acres of land that was freed has estimated value of Rs.1,500 crore." Overall, the project aims to process around 16.6 million tonnes of waste in 230 towns by end of 2027. In the first phase, 7.69 million tonnes of waste has been remediated at Rs.373.54 crore. In the second phase, 6.05 million tonne of waste will be cleared at a cost of Rs.305.19 crore and in the third phase, 2.06 million tonne of waste will be cleared at a cost of Rs.113.52 crore. Legacy waste refers to untreated municipal solid waste that has accumulated at open dumping grounds in urban areas over several years and can contaminate soil and groundwater. As part of the 'clean-up' programme, untreated biodegradable waste at dumpsites is segregated and converted into compost. While the non-biodegradable waste is sold to cement factories to be used as refuse derived fuel (RDF) to fire up furnaces. "The rejects which include plastic, glass cloth, fibre will be sent to landfills or used in road construction," said Chandrashekhar. Under the project, landfills will also be made by the Urban Local Bodies in their areas for proper disposal of waste, he said. The freed land is being used to create green spaces or for setting up waste processing plants or for commercial use, he said. Waste management companies are being invited through tenders to undertake remediation and operate processing facilities. The project is being funded by the Centre, State and local bodies....