Gurugram to send 600 MT daily waste to Sonipat WtE plant, critics flag risks

According to the tender, the ₹9-crore project will run for seven months, during which 1.2 lakh MT of Gurugram’s waste will be ferried in dozens of GPS-enabled, covered trucks.

The Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) has started transporting nearly half of the city’s daily garbage—about 600 metric tonnes (MT)—to a waste-to-energy (WtE) plant in Sonipat, around 80-100 km away, amid stalled operations at the Bandhwari landfill, officials said.

Officials said penalties have been built in for spillage, open burning, or illegal dumping en route.

According to the tender, the ₹9-crore project will run for seven months, during which 1.2 lakh MT of Gurugram’s waste will be ferried in dozens of GPS-enabled, covered trucks. Officials said penalties have been built in for spillage, open burning, or illegal dumping en route.

However, residents, environmentalists, and political leaders have raised sharp objections over environmental, financial, and ethical implications of the plan. Critics argue that unsegregated waste is being sent for mass incineration, which is both polluting and short-sighted.

Congress district president (rural) Vardhan Yadav said the plan reflects misplaced priorities. “Bandhwari landfill has already become a mountain of garbage, and instead of finding a scientific solution here, MCG wants to dump fresh waste on another city. Gurugram cannot escape its responsibility by shifting its mess elsewhere,” he said. Former minister Captain Ajay Singh Yadav also criticised the government, calling it “a betrayal of public trust and a burden on taxpayers.” He said, “This shows complete failure of waste management policy. For years, residents have demanded decentralised processing, but the administration is content with exporting garbage at high cost.”

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Environmental activists said the approach is harmful and unsustainable. “Instead of transporting waste to Bandhwari for landfilling and Sonipat for incineration, Gurugram needs less harmful infrastructure like biogas plants, composting centres, and ward-level segregation,” said Ruchika Sethi Takkar, founder of Citizens for Clean Air. “Mass incineration is costly, polluting, and contradicts solid waste management principles.”

Retired Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) scientist and air quality expert NB Nair warned that transporting mixed waste long distances increases emissions and risks. “Sending mixed municipal waste 80 km away merely shifts the problem. It risks accidents, increases diesel emissions, compromises safety, and further degrades air quality. This is a stopgap, not a solution,” he said.

In response to the concerns, MCG commissioner Pradeep Dahiya defended the decision as an interim step. “A tender is in place, and we are waiting for sanction and guidelines from headquarters. The step is interim until legacy waste at Bandhwari is remediated and local processing facilities are strengthened,” he said.