Chandigarh: The Himachal Pradesh high court has directed state authorities to seek expert advice from Chandigarh officials after the neighboring city successfully cleared a notorious mountain of “legacy waste” that once loomed over the region.Chief justice G S Sandhawalia and justice Bipin C Negi, presiding over a double bench, praised the municipal corporation of Chandigarh (MCC) for its remediation of the Daddumajra site. The court suggested the hilly state adopt Chandigarh’s model to tackle its own escalating waste management crisis.A green recoveryThe remediation project, which began in 2019, is now entering its final phase of “dressing and levelling”. Once the last piles of bio-soil and refuse-derived fuel (RDF) are cleared, the Chandigarh MC plans to transform 15 acres of formerly toxic land into a permanent green belt. “The horticulture department has already initiated the process,” a local official said. “The forest department will collaborate with the corporation to plant trees and shrubs, completely reclaiming the land for the community.“The clearing of the Daddumajra site was a multi-year, ₹120 crore undertaking managed by Chandigarh Smart City Limited. Phase I (2019-2022) cleared 5 lakh metric tonnes of waste at a cost of ₹40 crore. Phase II (2022-2025) removed 8 LMT for ₹67 crore. Phase III (2025-present): A final ₹12.5 crore contract awarded to a public sector undertaking to remove the remaining debris and stabilise the site.The successful reclamation is expected to serve as a primary case study for the National Green Tribunal (NGT) and the Chandigarh Pollution Control Committee as they monitor solid waste management across northern India. MSID:: 129849619 413 |
