Rs 8-cr facility earmarked for ops in 2022, only 20% complete
Despite the civic body spending nearly Rs 8 crore on it, the Municipal Corporation’s (MC) construction and demolition (C&D) waste processing plant at Dhandhari has turned into a white elephant, exposing the failure of the Smart City Mission in tackling the city’s mounting construction waste problem.
The project, which was envisioned to scientifically process around 100 tonnes of construction and demolition waste daily, remains largely non-functional even years after its launch. Shockingly, officials admitted that only around 20 per cent of the work has been completed so far.
The plant was proposed to recycle debris generated from rapid urban construction across Ludhiana. Under the plan, rubble collected from across the city was to be crushed and converted into reusable material such as tiles and road-filling material for potholes. However, the ambitious project has failed to move beyond paperwork and incomplete infrastructure, and has missed multiple deadlines over the past five years.
Although it was initially sanctioned at Rs 2.69 crore under the Smart City Mission, the cost of the project escalated drastically after the selected site at Dhandhari was found to be an old dumping ground. The MC had to spend additional funds on clearing debris and constructing pillars to stabilise the land. Eventually, the contract was awarded at Rs 7.30 crore, while another Rs 2.20 crore was sanctioned for machinery procurement.
The project was launched in December 2021 with a deadline of June 2022 for completion. However, nearly four years later, the plant is yet to become operational. The delay comes despite strict directions from the National Green Tribunal (NGT), which in May 2021 had ordered the civic body to implement the project within three months.
Officials have blamed repeated redesigning of the project and changes in execution plans for the delay. However, the ground reality paints a grim picture as heaps of construction debris continue to litter roadsides, vacant plots and green belts across the city.
Residents and environmental activists have raised serious concerns over the MC’s failure to regulate illegal dumping despite spending crores on the project. They said the stalled plant has not only burdened the civic body financially but also defeated the very purpose of scientific waste management under the Smart City Mission. MC Commissioner Neeru Katyal said, “I have already directed the officials to look into the functioning of the plant and make it fully operational.”
