Corporation clears large-scale waste overhaul
The Jalandhar Municipal Corporation has approved a comprehensive Solid Waste Management Project worth nearly ₹600 crore, marking a major step towards modernising the city's garbage collection and processing systems, reported local media.
The plan, which won clearance from the Corporation's Finance and Contracts Committee, will be placed before the House for final approval after some financial revisions. Both tenders for the scheme have been awarded to BVG India Limited, which will undertake daily door-to-door household collection and operate the city’s waste-processing infrastructure.
Key components and operations
- Duration: Contract extended to eight years after initial three-year proposal saw limited private interest for short-term processing investments.
- Payment: The Corporation will pay the contractor approximately ₹75 crore per year for providing services under the contract.
- Collection fleet: About 450 small vehicles are planned for daily door-to-door collection, each equipped with GPS for real-time monitoring.
- Daily target: The project aims to collect 631 metric tonnes of waste every day.
- Processing: Waste will be taken to Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs) for segregation and to a processing plant at the Wariana dump site for conversion of wet waste into organic compost.
To strengthen monitoring and transparency, the Corporation plans a dedicated mobile application for officials to track operations in real time, while all collection vehicles will operate with GPS tracking systems.
Land, facilities and technology
The civic body has already acquired nine acres adjacent to the Wariana dump site for establishing a modern processing plant. According to the project's detailed report, advanced machinery will be deployed at Material Recovery Facilities to segregate recyclables and organic waste before processing. The wet waste line is intended to produce organic manure for agricultural or landscaping use.
“Both tenders related to the project have been awarded to BVG India Limited,”
During the same Finance Committee meeting, the Corporation sanctioned civic works worth around ₹675 crore in total, including nearly ₹75 crore for road repairs, parks, tubewells, water supply and sewerage improvements.
Local implications and questions ahead
For Jalandhar residents, the scheme promises daily doorstep collection and a shift from ad hoc dumping to systematic processing. If implemented effectively, the move could reduce open burning, improve neighbourhood cleanliness and lessen pressure on the existing dump. Converting wet waste into organic compost may also supply local demand for manure and support farm and garden needs in surrounding areas.
However, several operational and oversight challenges will determine the project's success:
- Ensuring contractors invest in processing infrastructure promptly given the long-term eight-year timeframe.
- Maintaining service levels across older residential colonies, congested bazars and peripheral villages within municipal limits.
- Monitoring the contractor's performance through the promised GPS and mobile-app systems to avoid lapses in collection.
- Proper handling of leachate and emissions at the processing plant and Wariana site to prevent secondary pollution.
Officials will need to finalise the Corporation House approval and sign detailed agreements before deployment. Public awareness and segregation at source by households will also be essential to meet the projected 631-tonne daily target and to ensure MRFs and the processing plant operate efficiently.
| Item | Figure |
|---|---|
| Project cost | ≈ ₹600 crore |
| Contract duration | 8 years |
| Annual payment to contractor | ₹75 crore |
| Collection vehicles | 450 |
| Daily collection target | 631 metric tonnes |
| Land purchased near Wariana | 9 acres |
As the project moves from committee clearance to formal ratification, residents and civic activists will be watching implementation closely. Timely procurement of machinery, transparent contractor oversight and community participation in segregation at source will be decisive in turning the approved plan into improved cleanliness and environmental benefit for Jalandhar.
