Governor assures garbage probe is clean

NAKHON PHANOM: The provincial governor yesterday assured transparency in an ongoing probe into a faulty 72-millionbaht garbage management centre in Na Kae district which was left abandoned more than five years ago.

Governor Somchai Witdamrong said the public could rest assured the investigation was being carried out fairly, diligently and without interference.

He said he had also ordered officials in Na Kae district to speed up the probe into the garbage management centre, which a government auditor found to be a complete failure.

Based on the auditor’s findings, the facility cannot operate as intended and cannot be fixed or improved for other use. The findings recommended that an investigation be carried out to find those responsible for the problem and seek the return of 72 million baht.

“People found involved in irregularities will face legal action, be they officials or executives,” Mr Somchai said.

Located in Ban Phon Sawan, the facility covering 70 rai and which was designed to serve four districts — Na Kae, That Phanom, Renu Nakhon and Wang Yang — was forced to suspend operations two years after its 2011 launch due to high costs.

The facility was designed to separate organic waste from other materials to be turned into fertiliser for sale.

After operations halted local authorities switched to using a landfill to dispose of garbage, but it is struggling to cope with the large volume of garbage which amounts to 20 tonnes per day.

Arthit Wongkaew, a legal official at Na Kae municipality, said the probe showed that the facility’s design was altered by the Na Kae municipality to include machinery.

He said unlike the original design, which was evaluated and approved, the new one did not undergo a feasibility study and was in violation of procurement regulations.

He said the machinery did not work as intended, rendering the facility useless.