Railway colonies grapple with piling waste as contractor quits

The railways has now initiated the process to float a new tender, which may take three to four months

Open spaces in the city’s railway colonies have turned into garbage dumps after the contractor responsible for waste management left the contract midway, leaving residents without a proper disposal system.

Waste dumped at railway colony number 8 in Ludhiana on Saturday (Gurpreet Singh/HT)

Assistant chief medical superintendent Dr Chetna Kapoor said the contractor, who took up the two-year job in August 2024, informed authorities on November 1 that he would not continue till August 2026. “The contractor had been irregular delivering duties and was penalised multiple times earlier,” she added, without specifying the penalties.

Ajay Sharma, president (loco branch), Northern Railwaymen’s Union (NRMU) said with no waste management in place, the residents were left with no choice but to dump their daily waste in nearby open areas.

“For the last two months, the garbage hasn’t been picked up from the quarters. We have registered a protest over the issue, but to no avail. The stench is unbearable in the area and the garbage pile up also poses health risks,” he said.

The railways has now initiated the process to float a new tender, which may take three to four months. Meanwhile, quotations will be invited until 19 November to hire an interim contractor to restore waste collection and address the growing sanitation crisis, Dr Kapoor said.