New Delhi: The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) is aiming to start phase 2 of the biomining project at the Ghazipur landfill by early Feb. The move comes after the MCD initiated a fresh process to hire an expert agency for the task, following challenges in the earlier contracting process.
Earlier this month, the MCD approved the second phase of biomining at the Okhla and Bhalswa landfills, with work scheduled to begin at both sites in January. However, the rate offered for the Ghazipur site was significantly higher than at the other two locations. “We negotiated the rate of Rs 493 per metric tonne, but when negotiations didn’t yield results, we started the re-tendering process,” an MCD official said.
The contractor for the Bhalswa landfill will process 30 lakh metric tonnes of legacy waste in 18 months at a rate of Rs 423 per tonne, at a cost of approximately Rs 130 crore. In Okhla, the concessionaire will handle 20 lakh metric tonnes at Rs 404 per tonne, costing about Rs 82 crore.
The MCD also terminated the contract of the initial contractor at Ghazipur on December 17, citing repeated performance failures and delays in meeting targets. “Despite efforts to keep the work going, even in small quantities, the contractor’s progress was slow,” the official said. The terminated contractor had processed only 13-14 lakh tonnes of waste out of the 30 lakh tonnes, which was scheduled for completion by July 2024. In response, a company representative said, “Lack of timely payments, GRAP regulations, Covid-19 pandemic, among other factors led to the delayed performance. Still, we managed to process 13 lakh MT of waste.”
Under the new contract at Ghazipur, the MCD expects to process 30 lakh tonnes of legacy waste. The Ghazipur site holds approximately 45% of the total 175 lakh tonnes of legacy waste at the three landfills, and the MCD has faced consistent criticism for slow progress there.
The MCD is executing the biomining project at three landfills—Ghazipur, Okhla and Bhalswa—under the Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban) 2.0, with a sanctioned budget of Rs 1,395.6 crore. Phase I utilised Rs 400 crore, processing waste at Okhla (30 lakh MT), Bhalswa (45 lakh MT), and Ghazipur (14 lakh MT), while Phase II is expected to cost around Rs 500 crore. The remaining funds will be used for processing waste and flattening the landfills in Phase III.
“Commissioner Ashwani Kumar has given the nod to selected contractors for the Okhla and Bhalswa landfills. We expect the concessionaires to set up machinery and commence operations as soon as GRAP curbs are lifted,” said an official, adding, “the project will not require a nod from the standing committee.”