The municipal solid waste generated in Udhampur town is being scientifically collected and transported to a designated dumping site at Mand, which is not located in proximity to any river body, including the Tawi River.
This information was provided by Minister for Education, Sakeena Itoo, on behalf of the Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah in response to a question raised by Legislator Pawan Kumar Gupta regarding solid waste management in the town.
The Minister apprised the House that there is no indiscriminate dumping of waste along riverbeds or riverbanks. She added that necessary measures, including periodic spraying of bio-culture, are being undertaken at the Mand site to facilitate environmentally sound decomposition of waste.
She further informed that Udhampur town generates approximately 50 tonnes per day (TPD) of municipal solid waste. A waste processing facility with a capacity of 5 TPD has already been established at Sui Chakar. However, she noted that following flash floods in August 2025, the approach road to the Material Recovery Facility (MRF) centre was damaged, leading to suspension of segregation and processing of dry and wet waste. “The operations shall be restored once the approach road to the MRF centre is made functional,” she said.
The Minister stated that a solid waste processing plant was sanctioned for Udhampur in 2010-11 at ₹11.25 crore with ₹1 crore released. A DPR was also prepared but the project was stalled due to lack of suitable land, he added.
The Minister further stated that the Municipal Council Udhampur is providing segregated door-to-door garbage collection services to the residents. The designated dumping site at Mand is being utilized for scientific waste management practices, including controlled deposition of waste and periodic application of bio-culture to accelerate decomposition.
She also informed that in 2019, on the directions of the National Green Tribunal (NGT), the J&K Pollution Control Board imposed an environmental compensation of ₹1.39 crore on the Municipal Council, Udhampur. However, the Urban Local Bodies (ULB) Department has since taken corrective measures and addressed the deficiencies, improving the civic amenities in the town.
The Minister added that installation of a 50 TPD trommel at the existing processing facility has been proposed and the tendering process for the same has already been initiated.