Mumbai: For the second time this month, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) extended the deadline for its ambitious Rs 2,368 crore tender aimed at scientifically clearing the massive legacy waste at the Deonar dumpsite using bio-remediation. The tender, initially floated on May 14, had a submission deadline of June 3, which was first pushed to June 23. With no formal bids received yet, the civic body reportedly extended the deadline further to July 1.
The Deonar dumpsite, one of India’s oldest and largest landfill sites, currently holds over 1.85 crore metric tonnes (MT) of untreated legacy waste piled as mounds as high as 40 metres. Out of the total 311-acre site, BMC has earmarked 271 acres for waste removal under this contract.
Residential Development Planned At Dumpsite
This land is crucial for the Dharavi Redevelopment Project (DRP), which will see a portion of the dumpsite redeveloped to house thousands of residents. The DRP is being executed by Navbharat Mega Developers Private Limited (NMDPL), a special purpose vehicle in which Adani Properties Private Limited holds an 80 per cent stake, and the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) holds the remaining 20 per cent.
Despite interest from 21 solid waste management firms across India, including companies from Maharashtra, Telangana, Tamil Nadu and Madhya Pradesh, BMC officials confirmed that none of the firms have submitted formal bids so far. The primary reason cited for the delay is the influx of technical queries raised by potential bidders, particularly concerning logistical feasibility and the tight timeline.
“The monsoon poses a serious challenge,” a senior civic official said, as quoted by the Indian Express. “With four months of rain annually in Mumbai, contractors effectively lose a full year of operational time in a 36-month contract. That leaves only about 24 workable months to clear a massive volume of waste, which many firms feel is too ambitious,” he added.
Civic officials clarified that unless a sufficient number of firms submit their bids, the deadline may be extended further to ensure competitive pricing and a viable selection process.
The tender process comes seven months after the Maharashtra government earmarked 124 acres of the Deonar land for DRP housing. The success of this clean-up operation is critical not only for environmental reasons but also to unlock land needed for Mumbai’s largest slum redevelopment effort.
