Corporators Threaten Blockade Over Rs 2,192-Crore Turbhe Waste Project
Opposition to the proposed ₹2,192-crore waste-to-energy project at the Turbhe dumping ground in Navi Mumbai has intensified, with local corporators threatening to block garbage vehicles if the tender process is not halted. The escalation follows a protest staged by local residents in May, who alleged that the existing dumping ground had turned the area into a "gas chamber."
Shiv Sena corporator Suresh Kulkarni submitted legal representations to the Maharashtra government, Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC), CIDCO, and the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB), demanding that the plant be shifted to an alternative location. Kulkarni proposed moving the facility to a 25-acre plot owned by CIDCO located approximately two kilometres away from the residential settlement, where around two lakh people live alongside an industrial belt.
Kulkarni stated that residents have suffered from tuberculosis and asthma over the past 15 years and raised concerns about potential cancer risks from the plant. He has sought the detailed project report (DPR), tender details, an IIT Bombay review, and MPCB approvals, arguing that public objections were invited before civic elections when NMMC was under administrative control without consulting local elected representatives.
Meanwhile, corporator Aniket Mhatre alleged irregularities in the contractor selection process and demanded a high-level probe and a stay on the project. Mhatre claimed that the selected contractor, who currently handles sweeping work for NMMC, lacks waste-processing experience. He also questioned why NMMC accepted a bank guarantee from a cooperative bank rather than a nationalised bank as specified in the tender, and alleged that DPR approvals were absent when the tender was finalised.
Residents and other stakeholders recently met NMMC Commissioner Kailas Shinde, urging the civic body not to issue a work order and seeking a joint meeting to discuss relocation. The planned project is structured under a 23-year public-private partnership model, with NMMC holding a 26% stake.
NMMC has rejected the allegations of irregularities and stated that the project will remain at Turbhe. The civic administration maintained that the facility is necessary under Solid Waste Management Rules, 2026, and CPCB norms, and is not hazardous to public health. According to NMMC, the plant will process 1,500 tonnes of waste daily, generate 27 MW of electricity, produce Bio-CNG and biochar, and operate an advanced leachate-treatment plant to clear legacy waste and reduce odour and pollution.
