Home / Environment / Patiala Garbage Fight: Who's to Blame?
Patiala Garbage Fight: Who's to Blame?
7 Oct
Summary
- NGT assigns Patiala MC responsibility for garbage dump remediation.
- Municipal corporation is actively bioremediating the 3 lakh MT legacy waste.
- Tenders for Phase-III remediation are worth over Rs 4.4 crore.
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed the Patiala Municipal Corporation to take responsibility for the remediation of the Ghalori Gate garbage dumpsite, located near a historic cremation ground. This decision clarifies that neither the housing and urban development department nor the Patiala Development Authority were involved in waste dumping or processing at the site.
The municipal corporation has initiated a 12-month bioremediation process for the estimated 3 lakh metric tonnes of legacy waste. This commenced following the awarding of a tender on March 6, 2026. Machinery has been deployed, and progress was noted as of July 10, 2026.
To mitigate environmental hazards, temporary suction machines are being used to remove untreated leachate and transport it to a local sewage treatment plant, preventing soil and groundwater contamination. Future plans include establishing a green belt along the cremation ground's boundary and implementing segregated waste management.
The civic body has also floated Phase-III remediation tenders, exceeding Rs 4.4 crore, in early 2026. Additionally, a 100-tonne-per-day compressed biogas facility is being explored for fresh wet waste. The municipal commissioner stated that 3.5 acres of the five-acre dumpsite have been cleared and the entire site is expected to be cleared by December 31, 2026.
