CHANDIGARH, Oct. 16 — The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Wednesday imposed a fine of ₹25,000 each on the Chandigarh administration and the municipal corporation (MC) for failing to file “proper replies” in a petition concerning the legacy waste at the Dadumajra landfill.
The case, pending since 2016, seeks removal and remediation of the massive garbage dump and accountability for lapses in waste management. The petitioner, advocate Amit Sharma, has alleged that the UT and MC have failed to respond adequately to issues relating to the submission of a “tampered” detailed project report (DPR) in 2023 and the filing of false affidavits.
According to Sharma, the DPR was prepared by an expert in electrical engineering rather than one with the required background in civil or waste management engineering. He further alleged that the report contained over 150 handwritten modifications to key financial estimates, leading to discrepancies worth several crores — a violation, he said, of the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016.
A division bench of Chief Justice Sheel Nagu and Justice Sanjiv Berry directed both the administration and MC to submit a fresh status report on the progress of dump clearance and to respond to all issues raised by the petitioner “as per the rules of the high court.” The matter will be heard again in November. A detailed order is awaited.
During the proceedings, the bench also asked the authorities to explain why Chandigarh had not adopted the “Indore model” of waste management, which has been widely cited as a successful example in urban garbage disposal.
Appearing for the MC, advocate Gaurav Mohunta informed the court that about 48,000 metric tonnes of waste still remained at the Dadumajra site and attributed the delay in clearance to the monsoon season.
Sharma, however, argued that the administration had earlier assured complete clearance of the landfill by May 31, 2025. “Despite their commitment, the dump continues to exist,” he said.
The court’s latest direction adds to growing judicial scrutiny of Chandigarh’s waste management system, which residents and activists have long criticized as ineffective and environmentally damaging.
