E-Paper
55,000 MT unprocessed garbage lying in Dadumajra dump: Centre tells Lok Sabha
Responding to a question, minister of state for housing and urban affairs Tokhan Sahu reiterated that sanitation is a state subject
The Union ministry of housing and urban affairs on Thursday informed the Lok Sabha that 55,000 metric tonnes of unprocessed waste at Chandigarh’s Dadumajra dumpsite is still under remediation, even though the Union Territory has reported clearing the entire 5.1 lakh MT of legacy waste. The update comes amid mounting concerns over repeated extensions granted for completing the long-pending bioremediation project.
Responding to a question raised by Chandigarh MP Manish Tewari, minister of state for housing and urban affairs Tokhan Sahu reiterated that sanitation is a State subject under the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution. He said that while planning and execution fall under the purview of the state and urban local bodies, the Centre continues to monitor Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban) projects through regular review meetings and field inspections.
Tewari asked why the Chandigarh municipal corporation (MC) had repeatedly revised its deadline for clearing the Dadumajra dumpsite. He cited earlier assurances given before the National Green Tribunal (NGT) and in parliamentary replies, which had initially committed to completing bioremediation by December 2024 and later by July 2025. The civic body has since pushed the deadline further to November 30, 2025.
In its written reply, the ministry stated that while all identified legacy waste—amounting to 5.1 lakh MT—has been fully remediated, 55,000 MT of newly accumulated and unprocessed waste remains untreated.
Though the Centre acknowledged these shifting deadlines, the minister did not specify the reasons behind the repeated delays. Instead, the reply emphasised that the UT administration has “ensured adequate waste processing to avoid recurrence” of legacy waste buildup.
MP Tewari said, it is extremely disappointing that the government has chosen to completely obfuscate and cover up the fact that the Chandigarh MC has been repeatedly shifting timelines for the clearance of the Dadumajra garbage dump since November 2024. However, the dump will have to be cleared in its entirety by the civic body and the administration. I will continue raising this issue in Parliament and at every available forum. The residents of Chandigarh must be freed from this garbage dump and the vile odour it emits,” he said.
The Dadumajra dumpsite remains one of Chandigarh’s most pressing environmental concerns, with the NGT regularly monitoring its status and directing authorities to accelerate waste clearance due to the health and ecological risks faced by nearby residents.
Even as officials claim substantial progress in remediating older waste, the continued accumulation of fresh garbage—and the absence of a clear, enforceable timeline—has renewed scrutiny of the MC’s capacity to manage waste sustainably.
The ministry stated that it remains in regular coordination with the UT administration to ensure timely completion of the remaining remediation and to prevent the development of yet another long-term garbage mound at the site.
Box: Caught in peril of perpetual delays
During an NGT hearing in September, officials from the UT administration and the MC assured the tribunal that the November 30 deadline would be met. However, 55,000 MT of legacy waste remains unprocessed, highlighting the persistent gap between commitments and implementation.
Chandigarh has long struggled with inadequate waste processing infrastructure, leading to the creation of three waste mountains over the past two decades.
The first mountain, comprising 5 lakh MT, was fully cleared by December 2022.
The second mountain, of 8 lakh MT, was originally slated for clearance by July 2023. The deadline was extended five times—to December 2023, March 2024, June 2024, October 2024, and then to December 2024. The target was finally achieved in February 2025.
While the second mountain was being remediated, a third heap of 2.4 lakh MT emerged due to continuous dumping of unsegregated and unprocessed daily waste. Its deadline was first July 2025, then September 2025, and later November 2025.
