Congress MP Manish Tewari questions Centre on non-functional Chandigarh waste plant, flags data mismatch
Chandigarh MP says MoHUA response evades key queries on Dadu Majra facility.
3 min read
Congress MP Manish Tewari said it failed to address the core issues of wage delays, alternative arrangements for waste processing, and enforcement action against the defaulting concessionaire. (Source: PTI Photo) Congress MP Manish Tewari Thursday accused the Centre of evading a direct response on the prolonged non-functioning of the Solid Waste Processing Plant at Dadu Majra in Chandigarh and flagged contradictions between official figures and data published on the Swachh Survekshan website.
Tewari had raised an unstarred question in the Lok Sabha seeking details on the status of the plant, which has remained non-operational since April 2024, and the reported delay in payment of wages to sanitation workers. He also asked whether the Union government had received any proposal for re-tendering operations or setting up an alternative waste processing mechanism, as well as information on the quantum of solid waste and any action against the private concessionaire.
Responding to parts (a) to (e) of the query, Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs Tokhan Sahu said, “Sanitation is a State subject under the 7th Schedule of the Constitution and by the 74th Amendment the devolution of power has been made to the Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) for water and sanitation services.” The minister added that it is the responsibility of state governments, Union Territories, and ULBs to “plan, design, execute and operate sanitation projects,” while the Ministry supplements these efforts through policy guidelines, financial and technical support, and sharing of best practices.
Calling the reply an evasion, Tewari said it failed to address the core issues of wage delays, alternative arrangements for waste processing, and enforcement action against the defaulting concessionaire. “Not only did the government evade the question, but the figures given in the answer contradict the figures on the Swachh Survekshan website,” the MP said.
He pointed out that the Swachh Survekshan 2024-25 data shows source segregation in Chandigarh has fallen to 14 per cent, whereas “the figures here are given as 100 percent by the Municipal Corporation of Chandigarh.” Terming this discrepancy significant, Tewari said he would seek clarification from the Ministry. “Either these figures in this answer are correct, or the numbers extrapolated in the chart based upon the data extracted from the Swachh Survekshan website. Both cannot be correct,” he said.
The Dadu Majra waste processing facility has remained idle for over a year, forcing the administration to dump garbage at the same site, triggering environmental and health concerns in the adjoining areas. Residents have repeatedly flagged the growing landfill and its impact on air quality.
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