Untreated waste dumped near Gurugram despite crores paid

But now, documents, photographs and eyewitness testimonies collected by HT indicate that the company allegedly bypassed scientific processes to treat the waste, and dumped toxic untreated waste at Pali village in Faridabad, roughly 20km outside the purview of MCG.

Moreover, the municipal body appears to have 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, said MCG officials aware of the matter who asked not to be named.

Internal communications seen by HT also reveal alleged attempts by MCG officials to waive penalties, appearing to defy a directive by then Haryana chief secretary Sanjeev Kaushal in 2024, saying no penalty should be waived without his explicit consent.

In all, nearly 5,000 trucks, each carrying 20 metric tonnes of untreated waste, were transported to Faridabad between April 2023 and December 2023, according to MCG officials. Scientific processing of waste was allegedly circumvented, experts say, saving crores at severe ecological and public health expense.

Experts estimate that the vendor allegedly saved at least ₹4–5 crore by avoiding scientific processing. The scientific process would have cost nearly ₹500 per MT, amounting to ₹5 crore. Instead, only ₹1 crore was spent on transportation, said Vaishali Rana, an environmentalist.

MCG commissioner Ashok Kumar Garg assured thorough investigation and stringent accountability. “We will enforce zero tolerance against environmental negligence. Vendor payments remain halted pending detailed verification,” he said. Haryana’s environment minister Rao Narbir Singh said a probe will be ordered.

MCG officials, who asked not to be named, as well as a driver who transports the material, confirmed that the waste was not treated before dumping in Pali.

The company defended itself. Subh Narayan Mishra, site engineer for Aadarsh Bharat Enviro Private Limited, said, “’We received a tender in 2023 for processing 200,000 metric tonnes of waste, with a four-month completion deadline. We possess the completion certificate. How could we operate without proper procedure? Every vehicle undergoes enquiry, weighbridge checks, and unloading verification before exiting the landfill site.”

“I have worked in this field for 10 years, and without these checks, no vehicle can leave. The material taken to the site was inert and compost. Even if I intended to engage in any misconduct, it would be impossible, as we are a Pune-based company operating in four states, including Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, and Maharashtra, at seven locations. These allegations are baseless. We have processed the waste as required,” he added.

A raft of laws flouted

India has straightforward laws for treating legacy waste. The 2016 Solid Waste Management Rules mandate that legacy waste be cleared using bioremediation -- which uses living organisms and microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi, and plants — to neutralise pollutants and prevent environmental contamination. For sites such as the ones in Gurugram, authorities must initiate a scientific remediation process, which includes segregating waster, treating recyclable and combustible fractions, and disposing of inert materials safely. These, according to the rules, must be carried out under strict monitoring by CPCB, with regular reporting, community engagement, and under strict timelines.

The agreement between the private company and MCG clearly mentioned the process before the tender was issued. HT has seen this agreement.

The first bill of ₹10.22 crore was raised in June 2023 for processing 115,000 MT, all of which was transported to Pali, according to MCG officials. MCG paid ₹6.22 crore in September 2023.

The second bill of ₹7.55 crore was submitted in October 2023. MCG paid ₹7.85 crore in August 2024.

In January 2024, the scope of work was enhanced by 32,000 MT for ₹3.08 crore, raising the total value of the project to ₹20.85 crore. A third bill submitted in March 2025 now seeks ₹5.5 crore. HT has seen the documents.

In January 2024, MCG marked ₹1.78 crore as penalty for delayed completion. But again, internal MCG communications – seen by HT and dated March 20 – reveals that a junior engineer proposed to waive the penalty and release the full amount.

This proposal appears to be in contravention of the then Haryana chief secretary’s directive issued in January 2024, stating that no penalty waiver should be processed without his explicit consent.

“This decision was to ensure the payment is processed after scanning all documents,” said Kaushal.

Despite the MCG claiming to follow standard protocols for monitoring landfill operations — including satellite inspections, drone surveillance, real-time weighbridge monitoring, and in-person site visits — spot checks and documents seen by HT paint a different picture.

Until February 2024, no real-time cameras were installed in Bandhwari, and there is no verifiable record of drone images, weighbridge data logs, or satellite comparisons.

Payments also appeared to have been sanctioned based solely on documents provided by the vendor, according to MCG officials.

Rao Narbir Singh said he will constitute a committee. “This issue was not previously brought to my notice, but now that it has come to light, I will constitute a committee to investigate any lapses on the part of MCG. We will initiate soil testing at the site in Pali village where the legacy waste was dumped, and a separate inquiry will be launched to examine the basis on which payments were released by MCG officials. Accountability will be ensured,” he said.

Crops dying, children ill: Residents

At the heart of the controversy is a five-acre plot in Pali village, Faridabad that was leased by local residents Seema and Soniya, who go by their first names, from March 31, 2023 for ₹60,000 an acre a month, according to the agreement letter seen by HT and dated March 31, 2023.

“We constructed a warehouse on the land,” said Rambeer Singh Bhadana, the landowner who leased the property from Seema and Soniya.

“Previously, it was a cricket ground, a low-lying area compared to the main road. We were offered to have waste dumped there, whether it was legacy or fresh waste, I have no knowledge. Officials are welcome to conduct an inquiry and verify the contents. We leased the land and received payment, beyond that, we are not aware of the specifics,” he said.

Photographs and visits by HT showed that the once low-lying site has now been levelled and high-rises built atop it.

A local resident who used to play cricket on the ground in 2022 said a constant stream of trucks started trundling in and out of the ground beginning April 2023.

“Those trucks would rumble in, one after the other, dumping that stuff onto the old cricket ground. The smell was unbearable. It would make your eyes water, throat burn. We were trapped in our own homes, prisoners of that putrid air,” he said, requesting anonymity.

Another neighbour said that it felt like the village was slowly dying. “The water started tasting strange, metallic, and we were afraid to drink it. Our fields, which used to give us life, wouldn’t yield anything. And people, especially the children, were constantly sick – fevers, rashes, breathing problems,” said Meena Devi, a 45-year-old farmer from Pali.

Residents in Gwal Pahari and Mangar villages, adjacent to the landfill site, report declining crop yields, contaminated groundwater, and increasing health problems. “We have started seeing skin allergies and stomach infections in children more frequently. The groundwater smells different now. This landfill is slowly destroying our lives,” said Kamla Devi, a resident of Mangar village.

Rana said this is a common practice, where vendors approach landowners of low-lying plots, offering legacy waste as a filler material. The offer is financially appealing—significantly cheaper than using soil or construction and demolition (C&D) debris. Once filled, these plots are regularised through municipal approvals, paving the way for large-scale construction. “It’s a perfectly engineered racket. The vendor saves money on waste processing, the landowner gets cheap land filling, and the officials look the other way,” said Rana.

On Wednesday, MCG issued a warning to Aadarsh Bharat Enviro Private Limited, after learning that the company has taken a new parcel of land on rent. MCG officials said the spot, in Sarurpur village in Faridabad, around 45km away from Gurugram was being used round-the-clock to transport and dump waste.

HT visited the site early on Wednesday and confirmed the presence of mixed, unprocessed legacy waste lying in an open field. Officials said this dumping activity was in clear violation of environmental norms and the contract’s terms.

Asad Warsi, a waste management expert who worked at the Indore landfill site – the model which the Delhi landfill sites are replicating – said CPCB guidelines mandate bio-mining processing and Anaculam spraying for legacy waste, ensuring proper treatment and reducing toxins.

“The lack of soil testing for heavy metals and the general disregard for these guidelines constitute serious violations. MCG bears direct responsibility for enforcing these CPCB protocols, as directed by NGT, which includes thorough videography of the process,” said Warsi, also a member of the CPCB guidelines formation committee.