Dadumajra dumping ground: HC says issue cannot continue indefinitely; MC undertakes to clear mixed waste by Nov 15

The Bench observed that the matter was serious and needed to be brought to a close, noting that the Corporation had already been given sufficient time to address the difficulties involved in clearing the dumping ground.

Opposing further extensions, petitioner-advocate Amit Sharma submitted that successive affidavits had offered timelines for resolving the issue since the beginning of the proceedings, yet the matter remained unresolved. He referred to the Court’s decision to summon the then Municipal Commissioner personally in May 2022 and argued that continuing discrepancies between official assurances and the ground reality warranted scrutiny.

In its affidavit, the Corporation claimed that the legacy waste at the dumping ground had been completely bio-mined. It stated that the first dump, comprising five lakh metric tonnes spread over 20 acres, was cleared on January 25, 2024; the second, comprising eight lakh metric tonnes spread over eight acres, on December 31, 2024; and the third, comprising 2.40 lakh metric tonnes spread over nine acres, on April 30.

The Corporation stated that its daily processing capacity was 200 tonnes of dry waste and 420 tonnes of wet waste. Against this, approximately 110 tonnes of dry waste and 200 tonnes of wet waste were reportedly being processed daily, while another 70–80 tonnes of mixed waste was being sent to a segregation plant.

The affidavit also asserted that no unprocessed waste was being dumped outside Chandigarh or at other locations within the city. The PIL has seen Sharma raise concerns over alleged false and misleading affidavits by public officials, alleged fabrication of a project report filed to secure disposal of the PIL, and the transportation and dumping of waste at other locations in Punjab, Haryana and near housing areas inhabited by economically weaker sections in Chandigarh. He has also flagged the lack of adequate infrastructure for scientific processing of the city’s waste.

By its September 30 order, the Court had directed the Municipal Commissioner to file a personal affidavit setting out the Corporation’s position, including its claim that waste was not being dumped elsewhere and the time required to clear the accumulated waste at Dadumajra. The Court had also directed the Corporation to account for the waste in terms of its processing and utilisation at its own plant.

Sharma requested that, if the Corporation failed to meet the November deadline, his pending applications concerning alleged perjury and forgery by officials be taken up for hearing. He submitted that the applications were ready for arguments.