Ludhiana: No power, ₹70-cr waste mgmt project stuck for 10 months
Officials said the delay stemmed primarily from the pending 2,000 kW electricity connection, essential for operating the waste processing machinery
The Ludhiana Municipal Corporation’s long-awaited ₹70-crore legacy waste processing project at Jamalpur has come to a halt even before its beginning. Although the work order was issued nearly 10 months ago, no on-ground activity has begun. Officials said the delay stemmed primarily from the pending 2,000 kW electricity connection, essential for operating the waste processing machinery.
The project, approved in February, was designed to process 19.62 metric tonnes of old waste and ease the mounting pressure on existing dumping sites in the city that carries the tag of being one of the dirtiest cities. Its delay now raises fresh concerns about the city’s waste management progress and the broader effort to shed its unwanted tag.
Despite the scale and urgency of the project, only minimal activity was visible on the ground until a few days ago.
Municipal corporation commissioner Aaditya Dachalwal said the civic body had repeatedly followed up the request with PSPCL. “Over these months, I have personally asked the PSPCL for the connection. The delay is from their side. The contractor has now begun initial work using its existing 400 kW connection, and we expect the required supply to be released soon since all paperwork has been completed,” he said.
When contacted, PSPCL’s Focal Point executive engineer Sanjeev Jolly claimed, “The MC submitted the test report for the connection on Tuesday. The connection will be installed within two days.”
Notably, Ludhiana secured the 39th national rank in the Swachh Survekshan 2024–25 in the category of cities having over 10 lakh population. The rank previous year was the same.
This is not the first time the project has hit roadblocks. The contractor had earlier been allotted the first phase of legacy waste remediation in November 2022 to clear 5 lakh MT at a cost of ₹27.17 crore. Though the MC now claims that phase has been completed, the slow pace of work over the past three years has raised questions about execution and oversight.
The situation is particularly concerning given the scale of the problem. The Tajpur Road dumpsite alone contains more than 30 lakh MT of accumulated waste, a mound that continues to grow as the city generates nearly 1,100 MT of fresh garbage every day. The MC had earlier proposed a phased plan to treat around 25 lakh MT of this waste, hoping to gradually reclaim land and reduce environmental hazards.
The dumpsite’s record of accidents makes the delay even more worrying. In April 2022, a massive fire swept through the area, engulfing a nearby hut and claiming seven lives. The National Green Tribunal later directed the MC to deposit ₹100 crore as interim compensation with the district magistrate, holding the civic body accountable for lapses in fire and waste management.
For residents of Kakka village and nearby colonies, the wait for relief has been unbearably long. “We are forced to live with this daily hazard,” said Naresh Kumar, pointing to the foul smells and periodic smoke that worsen during the summer months.
MC officials say that once the new project is fully operational, it could help clear around 41 acres of municipal land through bioremediation.
