Admin seeks more time to disclose Bandhwari waste clearance timelines

The Gurugram district administration has sought additional time from the National Green Tribunal (NGT) until December, 2026 to disclose the timeline for processing 710,000 metric tonnes (MT) of estimated legacy waste, including 325,000 MT of fresh municipal solid waste (MSW), expected to be lying at the Bhandwari landfill by March 2027

The Gurugram district administration has sought additional time from the National Green Tribunal (NGT) until December, 2026 to disclose the timeline for processing 710,000 metric tonnes (MT) of estimated legacy waste, including 325,000 MT of fresh municipal solid waste (MSW), expected to be lying at the Bhandwari landfill by March 2027.

The MCG said around 1.72 million MT of waste is lying at the site as of August 16. (HT)

The deputy commissioner’s affidavit, submitted before the tribunal on August 18 and made public on Thursday, said the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) is preparing a proposal to clear the legacy waste expected to accumulate at the site by the end of financial year 2026-27.

“The exact date to complete the processing of the entire legacy waste can be determined by November or December, 2026, after obtaining approval for processing of balance legacy waste from the government of Haryana,” the affidavit said. It requested the tribunal to extend the deadline to disclose the timeline.

In its order dated August 19 in an ongoing case dating back to 2018, the NGT’s principal bench observed that the MCG’s latest status report on waste processing failed to disclose the timeline for clearing the entire legacy waste.

“The MCG is required to give a clear timeline by which the gap in the daily generation and treatment of waste will be bridged and brought down to zero,” said chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava and expert member Dr Afroz Ahmad.

The tribunal also sought additional reports from MCG on segregation, management of waste generated by bulk generators and steps taken to manage leachate flowing from the landfill since January 2026. The matter will be heard next on November 5.

The MCG said around 1.72 million MT of waste is lying at the site as of August 16. Around 1.32 million MT is expected to be processed, leaving around 399,000 MT unprocessed until March, 2027.

Gurugram deputy commissioner (DC) Uttam Singh inspected the site on July 29 and observed that no processing of fresh waste was taking place at the site. He also highlighted the need to increase machine capacity to process the waste timely.

Singh sought an action plan from the MCG detailing timelines for stopping fresh waste dumping at the landfill, preventing leachate overflow into water bodies and forest land and improving source segregation of MSW, the affidavit read.

MCG told the DC that the tender for processing daily generated MSW was sent for final rate approval to the department of urban local bodies on August 12. Approval is expected by September 15, while commercial operations are likely to start from February 25, 2027.