Ranchi launches fresh effort to clear 8.6 lakh tonnes of legacy waste at Jhiri

The Ranchi Municipal Corporation (RMC) has floated a Rs 17.72-crore tender to remove accumulated legacy waste from the Jhiri dumping site, with more than 8.6 lakh metric tonnes of garbage targeted for processing in two phases.

The project will cover approximately 20.32 acres at Jhiri, which has served as Ranchi’s primary municipal waste disposal site.

The civic body plans to use biomining and bioremediation techniques to process the accumulated garbage, separate recyclable materials and ensure scientific disposal of the remaining waste.

The first phase will cover approximately 3.24 lakh metric tonnes, while a further 5.46 lakh metric tonnes will be addressed in the second phase.

The latest tender relates to the first phase. The last date for submitting proposals is November 12, while technical bids are scheduled to be opened on November 13, reported The Times of India.

The selected agency will have three months from the commencement of operations to complete the first-phase work.

The scope includes setting up processing infrastructure, excavating compacted mixed waste and mechanically sieving the material to separate recyclable and recoverable fractions.

Following processing, organic material will be extracted for use as manure, while recyclable materials will be recovered separately.

High-calorific materials such as textiles and timber will be converted into refuse-derived fuel for use in cement kilns and industrial boilers. The remaining inert material will be used as landfill cover or filler material.

RMC had previously undertaken a Rs 92-crore project in 2024, during which approximately 18 lakh metric tonnes of legacy waste were removed from Jhiri.

Additional municipal commissioner Sanjay Kumar said: “Around 18 lakh MT had been cleared in the previous drive. This new tender is floated to clear the new waste accumulated in the last few years.”

The latest project is intended to address the accumulation of waste at the site following the earlier clearance operation.

The corporation’s wider target is to process the entire identified 8.6 lakh tonnes in phases, although the current tender covers only the first phase.