Mumbai: The Bombay High Court has directed the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) to commence work on its long-delayed Rs 2,100-crore waste-to-energy project at the Turbhe landfill within three months.
The direction came while disposing of a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by social activist Pandurang Govind Tirth over the delay in starting the project despite the civic body issuing the work order nearly 10 months ago.
HC Intervention After Delay In Project Execution
During the hearing on September 11, the court expressed the expectation that NMMC would commence work on the project within three months. The court's order has now put the onus on the civic administration to move ahead with the project, which has remained stalled amid opposition from local leaders.
The project is aimed at processing municipal solid waste through modern methods and generating electricity and other resources from the waste. NMMC had appointed a technical consultant and completed the tendering process for developing the integrated solid waste management project under the public-private partnership (PPP) model.
1,500 Tonnes Waste To Be Processed Daily
On December 5, 2025, NMMC issued a Letter of Award (LoA) however, even after the work order was issued, work did not commence, prompting Tirth to approach the Bombay High Court.
The proposed project envisages processing around 1,500 metric tonnes of municipal solid waste every day. Around 600 tonnes of Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) is proposed to be used for generating 27 MW of electricity per day. Another 450 tonnes of waste will be processed for the production of natural gas. The project will also include a biochar facility, an advanced leachate treatment plant and a sludge-drying facility.
Local Leaders Raise Pollution Concerns
The project has faced opposition from local representatives over concerns regarding pollution and its possible impact on residents in the vicinity of the Turbhe landfill. Local corporator Suresh Kulkarni has raised concerns that emissions generated during the burning of waste could contribute to respiratory ailments, including asthma and cough. Local leaders have demanded that the project be shifted elsewhere and have opposed its establishment at the landfill.
Senior officials from engineering department,Nmmc however, said modern waste-to-energy facilities use advanced emission-control technology. According to the officer , gases generated during the process are treated before being released through chimneys more than 100 metres high, thereby reducing the possibility of pollution and its impact on human health. He also pointed out that similar waste-to-energy projects are operational in several cities across the world.
Tirth had earlier raised the issue of the project's delay before Forest Minister Ganesh Naik's public grievance forum and sought its early implementation. He subsequently approached the High Court seeking directions to NMMC to commence the project.
Tirth said he would approach the court again if work was not started within the period specified by the court.“I filed the petition before the Bombay High Court as work had not commenced even 10 months after the work order was issued. If the project does not begin within three months despite the court’s direction, I will file a contempt petition. I will also seek cancellation of the corporatorship of local leaders who oppose the project and cause loss to the civic body,” he said
The High Court's intervention has brought the long-pending project back into focus, with the civic administration now required to take steps towards commencing the work within the three-month period.
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