Manohar Lal Khattar reviews Bhalswa landfill, says land to be cleared by Dec 31

Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs Manohar Lal Khattar on Saturday visited the Bhalswa landfill in Delhi and said the waste there would be completely cleared by December 31. He said about 12-13 lakh metric tonnes of legacy waste remains at the site, while nearly 99.92 lakh metric tonnes has been cleared since work began in 2022.

Speaking to reporters during the visit, Khattar said senior officers have been assigned to monitor the project and speed up the work. He also said he had asked all ministers to take one dump site under their watch so that remediation is completed at the earliest.

Khattar said he took charge of the project on September 17 last year.

“We have assigned senior officers to monitor the project so that the landfill is cleared at the earliest,” he said.

“I have urged all the ministers to take one dump site under their own watch to ensure it is remediated at the earliest,” he added.

He said the landfill was commissioned in 1994 and was neglected for nearly three decades. The former Haryana chief minister said the height and volume of the landfill have reduced considerably over the past year because of sustained biomining efforts.

“Tendering process for the remaining waste will commence on 7 this month, and we are hopeful that we will be able to remediate remaining legacy waste in two months,” he said.

Bhalswa, one of Delhi’s three legacy dumpsites along with Ghazipur and Okhla, is undergoing biomining and remediation as part of efforts to reclaim land and reduce environmental hazards.

After multiple delays and missed deadlines, Okhla and Bhalswa are scheduled to be cleared by December 2026, while Ghazipur is scheduled to be cleared by December 2027.

Khattar’s visit focused on the progress at Bhalswa, where authorities say most of the legacy waste has already been removed and the remaining work is being taken up through the next stage of tendering.

Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs Manohar Lal Khattar on Saturday visited the Bhalswa landfill in Delhi and said the waste there would be completely cleared by December 31. He said about 12-13 lakh metric tonnes of legacy waste remains at the site, while nearly 99.92 lakh metric tonnes has been cleared since work began in 2022.

Speaking to reporters during the visit, Khattar said senior officers have been assigned to monitor the project and speed up the work. He also said he had asked all ministers to take one dump site under their watch so that remediation is completed at the earliest.

Khattar said he took charge of the project on September 17 last year.

“We have assigned senior officers to monitor the project so that the landfill is cleared at the earliest,” he said.

“I have urged all the ministers to take one dump site under their own watch to ensure it is remediated at the earliest,” he added.

He said the landfill was commissioned in 1994 and was neglected for nearly three decades. The former Haryana chief minister said the height and volume of the landfill have reduced considerably over the past year because of sustained biomining efforts.

“Tendering process for the remaining waste will commence on 7 this month, and we are hopeful that we will be able to remediate remaining legacy waste in two months,” he said.

Bhalswa, one of Delhi’s three legacy dumpsites along with Ghazipur and Okhla, is undergoing biomining and remediation as part of efforts to reclaim land and reduce environmental hazards.

After multiple delays and missed deadlines, Okhla and Bhalswa are scheduled to be cleared by December 2026, while Ghazipur is scheduled to be cleared by December 2027.

Khattar’s visit focused on the progress at Bhalswa, where authorities say most of the legacy waste has already been removed and the remaining work is being taken up through the next stage of tendering.