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Ludhiana: No bidder for ₹1,244-crore waste management tender, deadline extended
At present, the city generates over 1,000 tonnes of solid waste daily; the civic body has been struggling for years to manage the mounting garbage, while residents frequently complain about poor collection systems, overflowing secondary dumping points, etc
Not even a single bidder came forward during the 14-day window after the municipal corporation (MC) floated its ambitious ₹1,244-crore integrated solid waste management (ISWM) tender. Now, the civic body has extended the deadline by another week.
The project is aimed at strengthening the city’s waste collection, processing and disposal system, which has remained a major civic challenge for years. Officials said interested companies would be able to submit their bids till Tuesday.
MC superintending engineer Sham Lal Gupta confirmed the development, stating that the corporation had not received any bid during the initial period. “No bidder came forward in the past 14 days. Now, the MC has extended the tender by one more week. Bidders can participate till Tuesday,” Gupta said.
Sources in the MC said that around three companies had sought clarifications through a corrigendum, particularly regarding the provision of depositing 5% earnest money with the tender. The firms reportedly requested the civic body to reconsider the condition, saying the mandatory deposit was too high.
However, officials have not yet confirmed whether any relaxation in the tender conditions will be provided to attract bidders. The project, considered one of the biggest waste management initiatives in the city, proposes an integrated system for door-to-door collection, transportation, segregation, processing and scientific disposal of municipal solid waste.
At present, the city generates over 1,000 tonnes of solid waste daily. The civic body has been struggling for years to manage the mounting garbage, while residents frequently complain about poor collection systems, overflowing secondary dumping points and environmental hazards caused by improper waste disposal.
The MC had floated the tender with the aim of bringing a private operator on board for a long-term waste management arrangement. Officials had claimed that the project would modernise the city’s waste handling system and help reduce dumping at landfill sites.
