The bioremediation of Mumbai’s Deonar landfill was approved by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) at a price set 3% above the civic body’s original estimate of ₹2,368 crore. The approval was reached after two rounds of negotiations, through which Navayuga Engineering Ltd’s initial offer—earlier placed at 7.29% above the estimate—was brought down to the final, reduced premium. By that reckoning, a contract value of approximately ₹2,439.04 crore was arrived at.
The contract was awarded in July to Navayuga Engineering for the scientific treatment of an estimated 185 lakh tonnes of legacy waste accumulated at Deonar, which is among India’s oldest dumping grounds. The winning bid was selected over those of HG Infra and Re Sustainability, whose quotations had been placed at 11.83% and 24.8% above the estimate, respectively. The award process was delayed while pricing disagreements were addressed; however, closure was achieved once the bidder agreed to a trimmed markup.
A three-year implementation period was specified, within which mobilisation and monsoon windows were included. Mobilisation was projected to require at least six months, given that waste heaps reaching up to 40 metres in height have been recorded on site. The risk of a waste slump into a nearby creek was flagged by officials, and it was indicated that mitigation measures would be planned during the mobilisation phase before full-scale operations were commenced.
Because the landfill lies in an ecologically sensitive area, a comprehensive permissions regime was mandated. No Objection Certificates (NOCs) were required to be secured from the Coastal Regulation Zone authority, the forest department, the mangrove cell, and other relevant agencies. It was emphasised that these clearances would be prerequisites to field activities so that statutory and environmental safeguards could be observed throughout the project.
A broader urban policy linkage was also noted. In October 2024, a decision by the state cabinet was approved under which a portion of the Deonar dumping ground would be handed over to the Dharavi Redevelopment Project. In accordance with that decision, BMC was directed to clear 124 acres from the total 311-acre landfill. The site was estimated to contain nearly two crore tonnes of legacy waste, underscoring the scale at which remediation was required to be executed.
Through the reduced premium, a balance between cost containment and project urgency was attempted. Once clearances were obtained and mobilisation was completed, phased operations were expected to be undertaken so that both environmental protections and project timelines could be maintained. By linking the remediation to redevelopment objectives, the approval was positioned to serve immediate public-health and long-term urban-renewal goals in Mumbai.
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