Meghalaya's Marten landfill clean-up nears finish line after years of slog

More than three lakh metric tonnes of legacy waste have been piling up at the Marten landfill on the outskirts of Shillong for years. The Meghalaya government says the end is finally in sight — but questions over accountability and environmental oversight are trailing close behind.

Deputy Chief Minister Sniawbhalang Dhar, who oversees Urban Affairs, told the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly during its Budget Session that approximately 1,21,193 metric tonnes of waste still remain at the site, out of a total legacy figure of 3,45,996 metric tonnes. Around 2,24,143 metric tonnes have been remediated so far, with June 2026 set as the target for full completion.

The bio-mining contract has been awarded to a Guwahati-based firm, M/s Call & Fix, located at RGB Road in Assam. The total project cost stands at Rs 24.40 crore, of which Rs 12.75 crore has already been spent.

Dhar confirmed that the processed waste materials have been scientifically tested at NABL-accredited laboratories and that the technology being used meets international environmental standards — a point the government has repeatedly emphasised to assure residents living near the landfill.

Yet one disclosure from the session is likely to attract uncomfortable attention. When asked whether a proper Environmental Impact Assessment was conducted before the contracts were awarded, the Deputy Chief Minister was straightforward: "The Environmental Impact Assessment was not conducted because the bio-mining activity does not constitute a new project requiring a fresh Environmental Impact Assessment under the prevailing environmental law."

For environmental advocates, that reasoning may prove difficult to accept given the sheer scale of the operation.

Adding to the scrutiny, the government confirmed that no penalties have been imposed on the contractor for delays — a detail that legislators pressed on during question hour. Detailed information on disposal and reuse mechanisms for processed materials was referred to a statement tabled before the House rather than answered directly.

With roughly 35 per cent of the original waste still unprocessed and a June deadline looming, the pressure is mounting on both the contractor and the government to deliver on a clean-up that Shillong has been waiting on for far too long.