Bhopal's Adampur Landfill Buried Under RDF Waste Despite ₹53 Crore Contract, BMC Fines Agency ₹3.2 Lakh Ahead Of Supreme Court Hearing

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The Adampur landfill site, which was supposed to be cleared of its massive legacy waste by the year-end, is now grappling with another growing problem: huge piles of refuse-derived fuel (RDF) extracted during waste processing.

During an inspection on Saturday, Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) commissioner Ramprakash Ahirwar expressed dissatisfaction with the agency's progress and directed officials to impose a penalty of Rs 3.2 lakh on it for the slow disposal of RDF.

With RDF disposal remaining sluggish, the landfill continues to accumulate mountains of waste as well as processed material, raising fresh questions over BMC's compliance with the Supreme Court's directions.

The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear the matter on Nov 17, and BMC is likely to face another round of questioning over the slow pace of remediation. The corporation has designated superintending engineer Santosh Gupta to represent it during the hearing.

Around 6.5 lakh metric tonnes of legacy waste had accumulated at Adampur. Following repeated fires at the site, the matter reached the Supreme Court, which reprimanded BMC.

Subsequently, BMC awarded a Rs 53-crore contract to Saurashtra Enviro for waste remediation and submitted an affidavit promising to clear the entire legacy waste within 330 days, by March 31, 2027.

Adding to Adampur's problems, more than 50 tonnes of discarded clothes have reportedly accumulated at the site, creating another potential fire hazard. Despite repeated warnings over fires and waste accumulation, BMC's handling of the landfill continues to face scrutiny.

Only 2 lakh MT actually cleared

BMC claims that 2.5 lakh MT of the 6.5 lakh MT legacy waste has been processed. However, only around 2 lakh MT has actually been cleared from the site. The RDF extracted during processing remains piled up at Adampur because it has not been transported for further disposal.

The agency has been given a February deadline for disposing of both legacy waste and RDF. Officials informed the commissioner that five processing machines were currently being used for legacy waste.

The company also claimed that it had installed two additional machines and would introduce a multi-deck processing machine and a roto-screen to accelerate operations.

Rs 48 crore more for fresh waste

Meanwhile, BMC has secured approval from the mayor-in-council and municipal council to spend another Rs 48 crore on managing fresh waste reaching Adampur.

The contract has also been awarded to Saurashtra. Earlier proposals to establish plants, including an NTPC project, to convert waste into electricity, gas and charcoal failed to take off.