Amritsar MC steps up efforts to clear legacy waste from dump sites

Amritsar Municipal Corporation (MC) Commissioner Bikramjit Singh Shergill on Saturday reviewed the ongoing bioremediation of legacy waste at the Bhagtanwala dump site and directed the executing agency, Ecostan Company, to immediately enhance machinery and manpower to meet the stipulated deadline.

The MC Commissioner, accompanied by Additional Commissioner Surinder Singh and Medical Officer of Health (MOH) Dr Kiran, inspected the site and assessed the progress of bioremediation being carried out by Ecostan. Officials informed him that between October 1 and December 25, a total of 1,28,456 metric tonnes of legacy waste had been processed. The work is currently progressing at an average rate of around 1,908 metric tonnes per day. On December 26 alone, 1,830 metric tonnes of waste was processed, taking the total bioremediated waste to 1,30,286 metric tonnes.

While expressing satisfaction over the progress achieved so far, Commissioner Shergill noted that the project has a completion deadline of October 2026 and that the current pace of work, along with the existing machinery at the site, may be insufficient to achieve the target within the stipulated timeframe.

Taking serious note of this, he instructed Ecostan Company owner Avisesh, who was present during the inspection, to deploy additional machinery and manpower without delay. Officials also shared details of waste segregation and processing carried out during December 2025. The bioremediated waste comprised approximately 39,696 metric tonnes of bio-soil, 4,962 metric tonnes of construction and demolition (C&D) waste, 3,473.4 metric tonnes of refuse-derived fuel (RDF), and 1,488.6 metric tonnes of other recoverable materials.

Subsequently, the MC Commissioner inspected the area where freshly collected waste is being stored by Three R Company. During the inspection, Three R Company manager Pankaj highlighted the need for additional space to ensure safe waste storage and smooth vehicular movement.

Responding to the concern, Commissioner Shergill directed Ecostan Company to immediately hand over areas already cleared after bioremediation to Three R Company so that fresh waste can be managed efficiently and vehicle movement remains unhindered.

Addressing residents, Commissioner Shergill stated that the Amritsar Municipal Corporation has undertaken a focused and time-bound initiative to clear legacy waste from the Bhagtanwala and Dana Mandi dump sites. He also instructed Three R Company to accelerate the disposal of fresh waste to prevent inconvenience to nearby residents.