Ludhiana civic body extends Rs 1.4K cr waste management project deadline again for bids

The Municipal Corporation (MC), Ludhiana, has again extended the deadline for bids under its ambitious Integrated Solid Waste Management Project worth Rs 1,408.66 crore. The latest extension has been granted till Friday, highlighting the continued struggle of the civic body to find a private agency for the project.

The project, aimed at overhauling the city’s waste management system, has remained stuck for over nine months due to poor response from private firms. Officials are still uncertain whether the extended deadline will attract eligible bidders.

The proposed project includes door-to-door collection of household waste, transportation of garbage from secondary collection points and scientific processing of waste at the city’s main dump site. Notably, large-scale waste processing at the dump has remained suspended for nearly five years.

MC officials have been attempting to award the contract since September 2025. However, the process has faced several hurdles, including opposition from sanitation workers and unions, who have been protesting against the proposal to hand over door-to-door garbage collection to a private company.

A senior MC official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said political uncertainty ahead of the Assembly elections and resistance from employee unions were among the factors discouraging major firms from participating in the bidding process. “Companies are hesitant to make such a large investment when there is uncertainty and opposition on the ground,” the official said.

The civic body initially floated separate tenders for four city zones in September 2025 at an estimated cost of Rs 170 crore, primarily for door-to-door waste collection. Later, the plan was expanded into an integrated waste management project covering collection, transportation and processing of garbage. The estimated cost subsequently increased to Rs 1,100 crore and later to Rs 1,408.66 crore after revisions approved by the Finance and Contracts Committee.

The project had also triggered heated discussions during an MC House meeting held on February 9, where it eventually received approval. Despite repeated efforts, the civic body is yet to make headway in implementing the long-pending project.