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MCG warns firms in charge of clearing Bandhwari landfill, seeks new agencies
Over 1.2 million tonnes of untreated legacy waste currently lie at the Bandhwari landfill, posing a serious threat to the ecology of the Aravalli foothills and nearby areas. The two firms, awarded a ₹80 crore contract to process 2 million tonnes by June 2025, have cleared only half the target so far
Gurugram: The Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) has issued a warning to the two firms tasked with clearing the Bandhwari landfill over delays and failure to meet waste processing targets. Officials said new contractors would be brought in at the existing firms’ risk and cost if progress doesn’t improve—reflecting the urgency of the city’s waste crisis.
“The current contractors are significantly behind schedule. If they fail to show tangible improvement soon, we will be forced to bring in new companies at their risk and cost,” said Sanjeev Kumar, MCG’s chief engineer. He attributed the slow progress to delays in clearances and inadequate deployment of resources on the ground.
Over 1.2 million tonnes of untreated legacy waste currently lie at the Bandhwari landfill, posing a serious threat to the ecology of the Aravalli foothills and nearby areas. The two firms, awarded a ₹80 crore contract to process 2 million tonnes by June 2025, have cleared only half the target so far. Officials fear they may miss the National Green Tribunal’s directive to process 2.5 million tonnes by December 2025.
MCG commissioner Pradeep Dahiya said the situation at Bandhwari is being closely tracked and warned that continued delays would lead to firm action. “The current state of the site is unacceptable. We’re fully aware of its environmental impact. If there’s no progress in the next one to two months, we will not hesitate to replace the contractors,” he said.
To accelerate the cleanup, the MCG is preparing a new tender under a “risk and reward” model to process 4.5 million tonnes of waste. The model aims to incentivise high-performing contractors while penalizing those who fail to deliver. While the original tender hasn’t been cancelled, sources said groundwork for the new bid is already underway as a backup plan.
Leadership reshuffle for accountability
To tighten monitoring and enforcement, the MCG has reshuffled leadership overseeing Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) and Solid Waste Management (SWM) efforts at Bandhwari. According to a July 14 office order, executive engineer (EE) Sandeep Singh Sihag has been assigned SBM/SWM responsibilities at the site, replacing EE Sanjeev Kumar Gupta.
A support team of assistant engineers—R.K. Mongia, Sumit Kumar, and Kuldeep Kumar—have also been deployed to the site. They will report to additional CMC-III Ravinder Yadav (HCS) and submit weekly progress reports to the MCG commissioner.
The latest administrative shake-up underscores the city’s push to revamp Gurugram’s waste management strategy, enforce environmental norms, and avert further legal or financial penalties. A decision on terminating the current contract is expected in the coming weeks, pending the contractors’ next performance review.
The Bandhwari landfill—spanning 30 acres—has long drawn criticism from environmentalists and nearby residents. Its location, close to residential areas and the Aravalli forest, has raised concerns over groundwater contamination, air pollution, and unchecked dumping. In 2023, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) fined the Haryana government ₹100 crore for failing to manage the site.
