Fresh contract for firm hired to clear Bandhwari landfill
Despite its poor track record, the agency has now been selected as one of two contractors for a new ₹90.1 crore project to process 1.4 million MT of waste at the landfill. This decision has sparked outrage among local residents and environmental activists, who argue that more competent agencies should have been given the contract
Gurugram: The Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) has awarded a new work order to a private waste management agency despite the firm failing to complete its assigned job at the Bandhwari landfill for well over a year. The move has raised serious concerns among residents and activists, with several people questioning why the corporation continues to support the agency despite repeated failures and have alleged partiality in the selection process.
MCG had initially allotted Aadarsh Bharat the task of treating 0.2 million metric tonnes (MT) of legacy waste at the Bandhwari landfill on January 10, 2024. This contract was later extended to 2.36 million MT with a completion deadline set for February 11, 2024. However, the company failed to meet the deadline and requested an extension until March 31, 2024, citing issues such as heavy rainfall, traffic disruptions, fresh waste dumping, fire incidents and limited acceptance of refuse-derived fuel (RDF) at processing plants.
Despite its poor track record, the agency has now been selected as one of two contractors for a new ₹90.1 crore project to process 1.4 million MT of waste at the landfill. This decision has sparked outrage among local residents and environmental activists, who argue that more competent agencies should have been given the contract.
“Why is MCG continuing to support Aadarsh Bharat when they have already delayed the waste processing work for over a year? It is clear that they are unable to handle the project efficiently. This raises serious concerns about the MCG commissioner’s role in awarding the contract,” said social activist and environmentalist Vaishali Rana and petitioner in a case related to the Bandhwari landfill mismanagement.
Rana also criticised the move, stating that MCG’s handling of the Bandhwari landfill crisis has been highly questionable. “The city is drowning in garbage, and instead of penalizing non-performing agencies, MCG is rewarding them with fresh contracts. This is a classic case of bureaucratic inefficiency and possible corruption,” she said.
In an official memo issued on March 6, MCG had asked Aadarsh Bharat to provide a detailed justification for its previous delays. The agency has been directed to submit proof, including weather reports, fire incident logs and records of RDF disposal issues.
“A comparative analysis with other agencies engaged in similar work during the same period indicates that they executed significantly higher quantities of work. The details of their performance suggest that the delays faced by your agency required further jurisdiction. In the light of the above facts, you are requested to provide a detailed justification with supporting evidence to substantiate the reasons for the delay, including specific dates and records of rainfall affecting the work, incident reports related to fire disruption, logs of traffic disruptions and proof of fresh waste dumping affecting operations and documentary proof regarding RDF disposal constraints,” MCG officials wrote in a letter sent to the agency.
The fresh ₹90.1 crore waste treatment project has been divided between two agencies, with one handling 0.9 million MT at ₹645 per tonne and the other processing 0.5 million MT at ₹642 per tonne. Operations should have been started by now because after approval from the High-Powered Purchase Committee (HPPC), the completion deadline is just four-months away, officials said.
MCG commissioner Ashok Kumar Garg said by now they have completed the work and have mobilized the machines. “The pending work has been completed now and the work for the fresh tender will begin soon. We will check why the delay took place at their end,” he said.
Garg said the agencies require a minimum of 15 days to mobilize resources. “Given the four-month timeline to process the legacy waste, we have instructed all participating agencies to adhere strictly to this schedule,” he said.
However, critics argue that without stringent accountability measures, the new contracts could suffer the same fate as the previous ones, further delaying waste management at the landfill.
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has repeatedly pulled up MCG for its slow progress in clearing the Bandhwari landfill, which receives around 2,200 tonnes of waste daily from Gurugram and Faridabad. In a December 17 order, the tribunal noted significant deficiencies in MCG’s waste management strategy, citing a massive backlog of untreated legacy waste.
Subh Narayan Mishra, site engineer of Aadarsh Bharat Enviro Private Limited said that they had received a tender for 0.2 million metric tonnes in 2023 to complete the task in four months and they also have the completion certificate. “We had received enhanced work due to elections and we completed the work in April last year,” he said.
