Gurgaon: The city’s lone demolition waste processing plant in Basai has recorded a sharp drop in intake this month. The data shows MCG has received only 24,000 metric tonnes (MT) of demolition waste so far, about 33% below the expected 36,000 MT.The decline comes even after Haryana govt increased the plant’s processing capacity to 1,200 MT per day from Sept 1 last year. The agency running the facility has been authorised to collect demolition waste within a 30km radius, effectively covering the entire city.Under the protocol, MCG officials identify demolition waste sites and share the locations with the agency, which is then responsible for lifting and transporting the debris. Yet, only 24,000 MT has been lifted so far this month, amounting to just 66% of the plant’s handling capacity. This comes despite recent demolition drives by the department of town and country planning (DTCP), carried out under Punjab and Haryana high court directions, which generated large volumes of debris.Monthly data shows that Dec last year recorded the highest collection at 37,869 MT, followed by March this year at 37,219 MT and Jan at 36,585 MT. In Feb, the collection stood at 33,624 MT. By comparison, Nov last year saw the lowest intake at 36,005 MT. The reporting period began with 36,143 MT in Sept, before dropping to 29,595 MT in Oct.“The debris waste collection this month has reduced to 24,000 MT. The monthly target of 36,000 MT cannot be met in the remaining days. We collect waste only after MCG shares the locations,” said a representative of the firm operating the Basai plant.A senior MCG official said, “We have not been able to collectdemolition waste from Saraswati Kunj this month because of electrical cables lying loose there. This is one of the reasons for the reduced collection.”Environmentalists said weak enforcement remains a major reason for the gap between visible waste and actual collection. “MCG’s monitoring has always been weak. Gurgaon-Faridabad Road has remained a hotspot for illegal dumping for years, and strong enforcement is needed to curb this. Given the scale of debris generated by recent demolitions, MCG must act as a supervising agency to ensure that developers or DTCP properly channel the waste to the processing facility,” said Vaishali Rana, an environmental activist.
