MCG gets nod to hire private firms for waste processing at Bandhwari

The Urban Local Bodies Department has granted approval to the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) to hire private agencies for the processing and bio-remediation of solid waste at the Bandhwari landfill site. The approval comes after the suspension of waste treatment operations earlier due to the expiration of the work orders of private agencies.

Nijesh Manderna, Executive Engineer (Swachh Bharat Mission) of the MCG, confirmed the development to The Tribune, stating, “The state government has approved the selection of private agencies and the tenders were invited recently.” He added, “We will issue the work orders in the next couple of days and the work will begin within a week.”

After the suspension of work, the MC immediately invited tenders to hire three new agencies for waste management. The bids were opened and provisional selections were made. The official documents regarding the tenders and the selection process were sent to the Directorate of Urban Local Bodies in December 2024 for approval. However, the department took two months to grant approval for the selection of agencies.

According to an affidavit filed by the MC before the National Green Tribunal, as of November 30, 2024, around 8.84 lakh metric tonne of legacy waste at Bandhwari was yet to be processed. The total legacy waste assessed in January 2023 was 30.43 lakh metric tonne. By the end of December 2023, an additional 6.06 lakh metric tonne of fresh waste had been added, with a further 6.10 lakh metric tonnes of waste generated between January 1, 2024, and November 30, 2024. In 2023, approximately 16.50 lakh metric tonne of waste was processed by the agencies hired by the MCG, while 17.25 lakh metric was were processed the following year.

Gurugram generates 1,200 to 1,500 metric tonne of solid waste daily, with Faridabad contributing 800 to 1,000 metric tonne. A significant portion of this waste is directed to the Bandhwari landfill, making waste processing and bio-remediation a complex challenge for civic authorities, especially with the growing accumulation of legacy waste.