The Chandigarh municipal corporation (MC) is set to hire a new private firm to process the third garbage mountain at the Dadumajra dumping ground by July 2025. The proposal, which comes with an estimated cost of ₹12 crore, will be discussed in the MC general House meeting scheduled for Tuesday.
According to the agenda copy, MC officials have stated the urgency of clearing the dumping ground, citing, “The NGT is pursuing with Chandigarh Administration/MC for clearing the dumping ground of legacy waste at the earliest. The Punjab and Haryana High Court also mandated that the third dump be cleared in a time-bound manner. Members of Parliament have also taken cognizance of the matter and advised for clearing the dump without any delay. MC has also reiterated to the Chairman and Members, Parliamentary Standing Committee on Housing and Urban Affairs, 2025, that the work of clearing the third dump will be completed by July 2025, subject to weather conditions.”
The document further reveals that two private firms have expressed interest in undertaking the bio-mining process for the third garbage mountain. Upon the House’s approval, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) will be signed between the selected firm and the MC to initiate the waste processing work.
The MC officials had earlier claimed that the firm already contracted for the first and second garbage dumps would also handle the third, without the need for additional funds. However, the new proposal seeks a separate allocation of ₹12 crore for processing the third dump. Given the MC’s financial constraints, this amount will be drawn from the ring-fenced funds designated for solid waste management, as mandated by the NGT.
{{/usCountry}}The MC officials had earlier claimed that the firm already contracted for the first and second garbage dumps would also handle the third, without the need for additional funds. However, the new proposal seeks a separate allocation of ₹12 crore for processing the third dump. Given the MC’s financial constraints, this amount will be drawn from the ring-fenced funds designated for solid waste management, as mandated by the NGT.
{{/usCountry}}Chandigarh’s waste management has faced numerous challenges over the years. The Dadumajra site saw the formation of two massive waste mountains—one containing 5 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) and another with 8 LMT—due to inadequate waste processing. The first mountain was fully processed by December 2022, and the second was cleared by February 2024. However, continued dumping of unsegregated waste led to the creation of a third mountain, containing approximately 1.25 LMT of waste.
MC to decide on waste plant contractor
The MC, which approved an integrated solid waste management plant at Dadumajra in July 2023, will on Tuesday table it again to finalise the selection of a private firm for its construction and operation. The project, designed to manage the city’s daily waste generation of 550 metric tonnes (MT), will have a capacity of 600 tonnes per day and include three facilities for dry, wet, and horticulture waste.
Spread over 20 acres, the plant will be set up on a cleared portion of the Dadumajra landfill. The project is planned for a total of 17 years, including two years for construction and 15 years for operation and maintenance. Following a full tendering process, the firm M/s Hindustan Waste Treatment Private Limited, in a joint venture with M/s SFC Environmental Technologies Private Limited, Navi Mumbai, emerged as the lowest bidder after negotiations in a January 7 meeting.
However, political tensions are expected as Congress and AAP councillors oppose the waste-to-CNG plant. They advocate for a waste-to-electricity facility instead, which may lead to further debates in the House meeting on Tuesday.