Mumbai News: Only 69% Of Legacy Waste Cleared From Mulund Dumping Ground; Contractor Seeks 1-Year Extension, Faces Penalty

Mumbai: Despite an extended deadline of June 27, only 69% of the 70 lakh tonnes of legacy waste at the Mulund dumping ground has been processed. The contractor has now sought an additional one-year extension to complete the remaining work.

However, the delay will attract contractual penalties. Further compounding the setback, operations will be suspended during the monsoon, with work expected to resume in October.

A senior civic official said, “The original deadline to close the landfill was October 2024, later extended to June 2025. However, work has been hampered and halted during the monsoon due to operational challenges, such as wet waste affecting bioremediation and other processes. We are currently calculating the penalty to be imposed on the contractor but will ensure the project is completed soon.”

The Rs 731-crore contract for clearing the landfill was awarded in October 2018, aiming to process legacy waste using advanced technology. However, the project faced delays due to the Covid-19 pandemic and hurdles in securing necessary permissions, resulting in actual work starting only in 2021.

"Earlier we have imposed a Rs 9 crore penalty for the delays. The contractor has now requested an extension, but even if granted, further penalties will be imposed for continued delays,” a civic official stated.

Mumbai generates about 7,000 metric tonnes of waste daily, with 90% sent to the Kanjurmarg processing plant and 10% still dumped at the Deonar landfill. The Mulund dumping ground, which spanned 24 hectares and operated since 1968, was the city’s second-largest after Deonar and officially closed in 2018.