Pune: The waste disposal process at the Phursungi-Uruli Devachi garbage depot is turning into a costly affair, with Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) issuing bio-mining tenders assuming that 100% of the material is waste without properly assessing the composition of soil and garbage.
This oversight is leading to skyrocketing expenses, with the city potentially facing an additional ₹250 crore burden to handle the remaining 2.2 million metric tons of garbage.
For over a decade, PMC has been dumping waste at the Phursungi-Uruli Devachi depot, which resulted in significant environmental pollution, affecting the air, water, and land in the area. Local residents staged protests in 2007-08, which eventually halted the dumping of fresh garbage.
However, the historical waste remains a major issue. In response to a petition filed with the National Green Tribunal (NGT), the PMC was ordered to clear the site through bio-mining—a process that extracts usable materials and neutralizes pollutants from waste.
Bio-mining efforts have been ongoing, with tenders issued in 2016 and 2021 clearing 2.1 million metric tons of waste. A third tender issued in 2024 aims to process another 1 million metric tons.
However, PMC has now revealed that 2.2 million metric tons of waste still remain at the site, and without amending the tender conditions, bio-mining this waste could come at a steep cost.
To date, bio-mining efforts have cost Pune taxpayers ₹244.13 crore for the disposal of 3.1 million metric tons of waste. Now, contractors may use political influence to push for inflated rates for the remaining waste, potentially driving the cost above ₹250 crore. The transportation cost alone for bio-mining is expected to exceed ₹1,000 per ton.
"Current bio-mining tenders are proving to be more expensive than necessary. A thorough study of the waste composition will help control these costs, and we will make decisions based on this data," said Sandeep Kadam, Deputy Commissioner of the Solid Waste Management Department.
Bharat Surana from the Congress Trade Cell has raised concerns about the large amount of soil being treated as waste in the bio-mining tenders. Surana estimates that 70-75% of the material at the depot is soil, and only 25-30% is actual garbage.
By removing soil from the equation, Surana believes the PMC could save crores of rupees. He has lodged a formal complaint with the municipal commissioner, demanding that future tenders exclude soil to prevent further financial waste.
Bio-mining Tender History:
2018:
Waste bio-mined: 1.1 million metric tons
Tipping fee: ₹647 per ton
Total cost: ₹71.17 crore
2022:
Waste bio-mined: 900,000 metric tons
Tipping fee: ₹844 per ton
Total cost: ₹75.96 crore
Waste bio-mined: 1 million metric tons
Tipping fee: ₹979 per ton
Total cost: ₹97 crore
