The Mumbai High Court on Friday dismissed a petition filed by one of the contractors challenging the terms of the tender for scientific waste disposal using bio-mining. The court ruled that the terms set by Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) were correct, clearing the way for the bio-mining project at Uruli Devachi to restart after six months.
Since 2018, the PMC has been processing large amounts of waste at Uruli Devachi. Over 25 lakh metric tonnes of waste have been disposed of through two previous tenders, the last of which ended in February this year. Bio-mining is known as bioleaching, a process that uses microorganisms to extract valuable metals from low-grade ores and mine waste. It’s a cost-effective alternative to traditional mining methods and can also be used to clean up polluted sites.
One contractor filed a petition in the High Court raising concern over the condition of mandatory disposal experience of two lakh tonnes of refuse-derived fuel (RDF). The petition was dismissed on Friday by justices Devendra Kumar Upadhyay and Amit Kumar. The municipal corporation was represented by Adv Hrishikesh Pethe, while the state was represented by Adv PP Kakade and others.
Chief legal officer adv. Nisha Chavan said, “The court has confirmed the validity of the PMC’s terms and dismissed the contractor’s petition.”
{{/usCountry}}Chief legal officer adv. Nisha Chavan said, “The court has confirmed the validity of the PMC’s terms and dismissed the contractor’s petition.”
{{/usCountry}}The PMC has started bio-mining 53 lakh metric tonnes of waste from the waste depot at Phursungi-Uruli Devachi as per the order of the National Green Tribunal (NGT). 21 lakh metric tonnes of bio-mining have been done so far by holding tenders in 2016 and 2021.
A new tender was issued in August, after a six-month delay. While issuing this tender, the administration made the condition of mandatory disposal experience of two lakh tonnes of RDF. Around 20 contractor companies attended the pre-bid meeting. Many contractors claimed that the conditions favoured specific companies. However, municipal commissioner Dr Rajendra Bhosale and additional commissioner Prithviraj BP refused to make any changes to the conditions. Subsequently, a tender has been sanctioned for bio-mining of 10 lakh metric tonnes of waste, for which the tipping fee has been fixed at ₹844 per tonne.