Haryana govt to probe illegal waste dumping

The Haryana government has ordered a detailed inquiry into the alleged illegal dumping of untreated waste from the Bandhwari landfill to other villages despite crores being paid to a private firm for its processing.

The action comes following an April 10Hindustan Times report which revealed that a Pune-based company, Aadarsh Bharat Enviro Private Limited, allegedly bypassed scientific processes to treat the waste, and dumped toxic untreated waste at Pali village in Faridabad, roughly 20km outside the purview of the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG).

Chief minister Nayab Singh Saini, while addressing a press conference at Global City in Gurugram, said that he has directed an inquiry into the matter, reiterating his government’s zero-tolerance stance towards corruption and illegal practices.

“We have marked an inquiry into the waste scam. The BJP government is committed to maintaining a corruption-free governance model, and no one involved in illegal practices will be spared. I have asked the local MLA and MCG officials to investigate the matter and submit a detailed report. Based on their findings, strict action will be taken against those responsible,” CM Saini said. The government has also sought a reply from MCG officials involved in the project.

In February 2023, MCG awarded a tender worth ₹17.7 crore to the private firm for processing 200,000 metric tonnes (MT) of legacy waste. Over the next year, MCG released a series of payments totalling over ₹15 crore on the promise that the company would treat the legacy waste – comprising refuse-derived fuel, construction and demolition waste, compost and inert materials – before disposing of them in approved sites. However, it came to the fore that the municipal body cleared payments – ₹6.22 crore in January 2024 and in ₹7.85 crore in August 2024 – without adequately checking if the waste was processed according to norms, MCG officials aware of the matter had told HT.

MCG commissioner Ashok Kumar Garg said he has ordered an inquiry into the allegation.

“It is strange and unacceptable that payments were cleared without verifying the proper mechanism and compliance. I have ordered an inquiry into the payments made to the contractor. If found guilty, we will impose penalties and ensure transparency in the system. No further bills will be cleared until the contractor adheres to all norms and processes. Our engineers will also visit the suspected dumping sites for ground verification,” Garg stated.

However, Subh Narayan Mishra, site engineer for Aadarsh Bharat Enviro Private Limited, denied allegations of illegal dumping.

“We are not dumping unprocessed waste at any new site. We have been processing waste as per the contract and have not received any warning from MCG regarding our performance,” Mishra claimed.

Contrary to Mishra’s claims, HT is in possession of photographic evidence showing untreated waste being loaded at Bandhwari and dumped at another site.

The MCG has issued a stern warning to the firm after discovering that the company had rented a new parcel of land in Sarurpur village, Faridabad, for dumping unprocessed waste. This came a day after a show-cause notice was issued on April 8 citing serious violations in the bio-mining and remediation process.

MCG officials confirmed that the site, located about 45 km from Gurugram, was being used round-the-clock to dump untreated legacy waste. HT visited the site and found mixed, unprocessed waste dumped in an open field, a clear violation of environmental norms and contract terms.

“The contractor has been warned that if these violations continue, the contract will be terminated. Dumping untreated waste is not only illegal but also a severe threat to public health and the environment,” an MCG official said on condition of anonymity.

Environmental activist Vaishali Rana expressed outrage over the scam and MCG’s alleged inaction.

“We have decided to submit all our findings, along with HT’s report, to the National Green Tribunal (NGT) during our next hearing scheduled for April 18. The situation is deteriorating rapidly — untreated waste is being dumped openly, and MCG has failed miserably to stop it despite repeated complaints and media exposure,” Rana said.

Ruchika Sethi Takkar, a member of Citizens for Clean Air, criticised the entire waste management model adopted by MCG. “We have seen trucks packed with so-called ‘RDF’ or processed waste heading to different locations. The waste looks almost identical to what is sent to the landfill. It’s a sham that instead of investing in infrastructure for proper waste processing like bio-gas or composting plants, MCG continues to rely on this outdated transport model. This is not waste management — it’s just shifting unprocessed waste from one place to another, creating pollution and increasing financial burden,” she said.