Bandhwari clean-up hits roadblock again, firms blacklisted for two years, penalised Rs 9.02 crore

The much-delayed clean-up of the Bandhwari landfill in Gurugram has hit another roadblock, with two firms tasked with processing legacy waste being sacked and fined Rs 9.02 crore for non-performance.

In an affidavit before the National Green Tribunal (NGT), Gurugram Municipal Corporation (MC) Commissioner Pradeep Dahiya said, “Despite repeated notices, both agencies failed to mobilise sufficient resources and complete the work. The cumulative progress was far short of contractual expectations.”

Ground report (Jan 2023-July 2025)

• Total waste received: 47.99 lakh MT
• Legacy waste in Jan 2023: 30.43 lakh MT
• Total waste processed: 36.28 lakh MT
• Jan-Dec 2023: 16.5 lakh MT
• Jan-Dec 2024: 17.46 lakh MT
• Jan-July 2025: 2.31 lakh MT

Waste management status in Faridabad

• Daily waste generation: 1,000 TPD
• Processed: 385 TPD (38.5%)
• Unprocessed: 62% (transported to Bandhwari)

The work of bioremediation and bio-mining of legacy waste was allotted in February 2025 to M/s Aadrash Bharat and M/s Greentech Environ Management Pvt Ltd. They were given 21 days to mobilise and four months to complete the job.

The deadline expired on July 3, but progress was dismal — just 2.31 lakh MT of waste was processed out of the 14 lakh MT target, a mere 16.5 per cent.

With little improvement despite notices, the MC imposed the maximum penalty under the contract terms — 10% of the contract value. M/s Greentech Environ was fined Rs 5.81 crore, while M/s Aadrash Bharat faced a penalty of Rs 2.58 crore. Both firms were blacklisted on July 14 for two years. Following the termination, the MC has submitted a new proposal to the Urban Local Bodies Department. According to the new action plan filed before the NGT, approvals are expected by August 20, and tenders will be floated by August 25. The bidding process will conclude by September 27, with final agreements likely to be signed by November 20.

If deadlines are met, work will begin by January 20, 2026. At the proposed pace of 80,000 MT to 1 lakh MT per month, the 14 lakh MT of legacy waste will be cleared only by February 2028.

For handling fresh municipal waste, the civic body said tenders will also be floated by August 25, with actual operations to start by February 20, 2026. On leachate management, Dahiya informed the NGT that the site generates 200 KLD of leachate, which rises during the monsoon. The liquid is being transported through tankers for treatment at the 120 MLD STP of GMDA in Behrampur.

He said, “There is no discharge of leachate on the land surrounding the Bandhwari site on regular days, as samples are being tested daily by GMDA.” Bandhwari has become symbolic of Gurugram’s waste mismanagement. Despite 36.28 lakh MT being processed since January 2023, untreated waste continues to pile up, worsening pollution and groundwater contamination risks.