Chandigarh, July 22 -- Only 59,000 metric tonnes of legacy waste, from the third and final mountain of garbage, is left for bioremediation at the Dadumajra landfill, the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation (MC) claimed in a statement on Monday. Two massive mountains, holding 5 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) and 8 LMT waste, had come up at the site in the past decades as a result of inadequate waste processing facilities in the city. While the 5 LMT waste was processed and cleared by December 2022, MC had set the deadline for completing the bio-remediation of 8 LMT by July 2023. But it was extended five times: First to December 2023, then to March 2024, June, October and then finally to December 2024. The target was eventually achieved in February 2025. However, while bio-remediation of the second mountain was underway, a third mountain, with 2.40 LMT waste, emerged at the landfill as a result of the unabated dumping of unsegregated and unprocessed daily waste. During ongoing hearings regarding the Dadumajra landfill, MC's counsel had submitted before the Punjab and Haryana high court that the entire garbage from the site will be cleared by July 31 this year. On Monday, an official release from MC stated, "Commenced on January 25, 2025, the ongoing bioremediation project of third legacy waste dump has already achieved an impressive 70-75% waste processing, despite facing significant weather disruptions - with over 45 rainy days in the last six months, each halting operations for more than two days. However, undeterred by these challenges, the project has been accelerated with a 15 to 20-fold increase in deployed machinery and manpower, setting new benchmarks in waste management efficiency." "This final waste mound, comprising approximately 2.40 LMT of legacy waste, is being cleared with support from two major PSUs and the existing agency, operating in two dedicated shifts to ensure rapid progress. The completion of this bioremediation effort marks the end of landfill dependency for Chandigarh - a transformative step towards sustainable urban living. As at 5 pm on July 21, only 59,000 MT of legacy waste is remaining to process in the final dump," MC further said. With this final push, Chandigarh is set to become one of India's first fully landfill-free cities, it added. While speaking about the project, municipal commissioner Amit Kumar said this was not just a waste management achievement, but a declaration of Chandigarh's commitment to sustainability and smart urban development....