MC’s all-clean claims at Dadumajra under scrutiny

Chandigarh: The Chandigarh municipal corporation’s assertion that Dadumajra’s decades-old garbage has been cleanly transformed into harmless “bio-soil” is facing a credibility crisis. Far from silencing criticism, the MC’s repeated claims have triggered intensified scrutiny from regulators and the judiciary, with the Punjab and Haryana high court now openly questioning whether the city’s legacy waste has truly been dealt with—or merely relocated and rebranded.What the civic body has projected as a completed bio‑mining success story has instead emerged as a contentious exercise dogged by contradictions between official statements and ground-level inspections. With both the Chandigarh Pollution Control Committee and the UT Administration flagging persistent contamination, the issue has once again landed before the high court, turning Dadumajra into a test case of transparency, accountability and environmental compliance.The latest setback came after the high court expressed dissatisfaction with the MC’s submission claiming that bio-mining of legacy waste at Dadumajra had been fully completed.A division bench comprising Chief Justice Sheel Nagu and Justice Sanjiv Berry directed the MC to clear the entire site of all non-biodegradable material and place photographic evidence on record by the next hearing on May 26.Repeated questions over ‘bio-soil’On several occasions, the corporation has maintained that legacy waste was scientifically processed and that only clean bio-soil—free of non-biodegradable material—was being dumped at designated locations across the city.However, inspections conducted by the CPCC and senior UT officials repeatedly found plastic, stones, cloth and other non-biodegradable material mixed with the so-called bio-soil at sites where only processed waste was supposed to have been dumped.Official records and subsequent inspections also suggested that unprocessed waste from Dadumajra was allegedly being shifted to low-lying areas and other parts of the city.In Nov 2024, a review meeting chaired by the director, environment, flagged that the material being dumped in Sector 53 in the name of bio-soil contained large quantities of stones, plastic, cloth and other impurities, pointing to improper processing. Instances of waste burning at the site, affecting air quality, were also reported.The chief secretary had then directed the MC to immediately stop dumping or burning unprocessed waste and warned of environmental compensation and possible prosecution against erring officials. The MC commissioner was also asked to fix responsibility for the lapses.Again in Jan 2025, the CPCC member secretary raised concerns over continued dumping of waste at locations such as Hallomajra and along choe banks, along with instances of solid waste burning, particularly in Sector 53. The chief secretary subsequently directed the MC to ensure 100% collection and scientific processing of municipal solid waste and to submit monthly compliance reports to the CPCC. The deputy commissioner was also asked to independently verify complaints regarding dumping of unprocessed waste.The CPCC further flagged discrepancies in the data on legacy waste submitted by the MC in court proceedings and sought details of all low-lying areas where the so-called bio-soil was being dumped. The MC commissioner was cautioned to ensure accuracy in all future reporting.Residents’ concernsResidents living near the dumping ground said the high court’s observations have vindicated concerns they have raised for years.Dyal Krishan, president of the Joint Action Committee, Dumping Ground Site, said the court’s remarks reinforced long-standing allegations.“The high court’s observations have exposed what we have been pointing out for a long time. The MC has been passing off unprocessed waste as bio-soil. Even to the naked eye, it is clear that the material still contains large amounts of non-biodegradable and unprocessed waste,” he said.BOX | NGT ON MC CLAIMSIn its latest submission before the National Green Tribunal (NGT), the amicus curiae made the following observations:Solid waste processing gaps:Of the reported 286 tonnes per day (TPD) of biodegradable waste, only 190 TPD reaches the compost plant, leaving nearly 96 TPD unaccounted for. The RDF plant receives 109 TPD, but only 82 TPD is utilised by industries and 2 TPD is landfilled, leaving 25 TPD unexplained. Compost output stands at a disproportionately low 7 TPD, and test reports reveal the presence of heavy metals such as chromium, cadmium, lead and nickel, raising concerns over long-term soil and environmental contamination.Legacy waste and landfill concerns:Legacy waste at the dumping site has reportedly reduced from 55,000 metric tonnes to 6,100 MT, with bioremediation slated for completion by April 2026. While 20 acres of the 45-acre site have been reclaimed and 16.72 acres capped, 8.28 acres continue to function as a sanitary landfill. The landfill now receives multiple waste streams—including RDF residue, heavy metal-laden compost inert, waste-to-energy residue and legacy inert waste—triggering concerns over the cumulative environmental and health impact of co-disposal. The handling of 27 TPD of inert waste, dairy waste and construction and demolition waste also remains unclear.BOX2: SHIFTING DEADLINESLegacy waste site-I: 5 lakh MT: Cleared in December 2022Legacy waste site-II: 8 lakh MT: cleared in Feb 2025Legacy waste site-III2.4 lakh MTDeadlines: March 31, 2025; May 31, 2025; July 31, 2025; November 30, 2025; January 31, 2026; February 28, 2026; March 31, 2026; April 15, 2026; April 30, 2026; May 8, 2026