A year after allocating over Rs 1,000 crore for a waste-to-energy plant at Deonar, the project is yet to see the light of the day. Since the ash generated by burning the garbage will be buried at the dumping ground itself, the contractor has to acquire an environmental clearance. All technical processes will take at least four months before the project can start.

The city generates about 6,500 to 7,000 metric tonnes of garbage daily, out of which around 1,000 metric tonnes is received by the Deonar dumping ground and the remaining is sent to Kanjurmarg. In April 2013, the high court had directed the BMC to close Deonar and Mulund dumping grounds as the corporation did not have plans to treat the waste. The last extension to continue the Deonar site was given till December 2019. Though the BMC tabled a proposal to award the contract for the plant for Rs 1,020 crore in February 2020, it took eight months for it to be sanctioned due to internal issues and the lockdown.