The garbage problem in Mohali city is worsening with each passing day. Piles of garbage scattered across different areas have disrupted the city’s sanitation system. Filth and foul smell spreading around RMC points have made life miserable for residents. Mohali, known as a “VIP City”, now bears the stain of neglect due to its poor waste management. The Municipal Corporation owns 50 acres of land in Samgauli village near Derabassi for developing a dumping ground, out of which around 19 acres are still entangled in legal disputes. However, there is no approach road to reach the site, due to which waste disposal has come to a halt. A new proposal has now been prepared under which the Derabassi and Zirakpur Municipal Councils may be assigned the responsibility of constructing this approach road. According to sources, the road is expected to cost around Rs 29 crore, which will be reimbursed later as compensation. Mohali’s old dumping ground (Phase 8 B) was shut down following the orders of the High Court and NGT about one and a half years ago. Since then, the city has had no designated site to dump or process garbage. Although 50 acres of land are available at Samgauli, only 31 acres are under government possession while the remaining 19 acres are under litigation. The site currently lacks machinery and has only a partial boundary wall constructed. Mayor Amarjit Singh Jeeti Sidhu stated that waste management is not merely an issue of cleanliness but is directly connected to public health and the city’s future. He said, “The problem is that there is no place left for garbage disposal. We have met Local Government director Kulwant Singh and PMIDC CEO Deepti Uppal to request that a proper dumping ground be made available at the earliest. If prompt action is not taken, the situation will worsen further.” He said that the Samgauli project will benefit not only Mohali but also the municipal councils of Derabassi, Zirakpur, Laldu, Banur, and Naya Gaon, as garbage from all these areas will be processed there. Recently, the mayor, along with councillors, met the director of the Local Government Department and PMIDC CEO to submit a memorandum on this issue. During the discussion, it was proposed that Derabassi and Zirakpur should construct the approach road, and their expenses would be reimbursed later. However, this will only be possible after coordination is established between the Department of Rural Development and the Department of Local Government at the secretary level. Only Rs ₹15 crore in funds During the Municipal Corporation meeting, it was stated that the corporation currently has only Rs ₹15 crore in funds, whereas tenders worth Rs ₹40 crore have already been issued. The corporation does not have sufficient money to carry out these works. This is precisely the reason why the idea has been proposed to assign the responsibility of constructing these roads to the municipal councils of Zirakpur and Derrabassi instead of the Municipal Corporation of Mohali. 'People are troubled by the garbage crisis' MLA Kulwant Singh said, “Mohali is the gateway to Punjab. People are troubled by the garbage crisis. Officials must take this issue seriously. The approach road work should begin immediately, as garbage from six municipalities will be processed here. The situation in Mohali is already critical. There should be no further delay.” For now, a few companies have submitted proposals to set up biogas and CBG processing plants at the Samgauli site, but approval is still pending. Once the road is constructed and machinery installed, the project could become a model waste management initiative for the entire region. However, if government inaction continues, this issue will remain Mohali’s most pressing civic challenge.
