Nagpur: The festering crisis of erratic garbage collection in Nagpur triggered a storm in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly on Thursday, with legislators launching a blistering attack on the private contractors responsible for waste management and accusing them of gross negligence, contract violations and pushing the city into a sanitation disaster.
Amid mounting outrage in the House, Minister of State for Urban Development Madhuri Misal announced the formation of a five-member inquiry committee to probe the functioning of two controversial door-to-door garbage collection agencies, AG Enviro Infra Projects Pvt. Ltd. and BVG India Ltd., both appointed by the Nagpur Municipal Corporation. She told the Assembly that the State Government would decide whether to cancel their contracts once the committee submits its report.
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The issue erupted during Question Hour when Narendra Bhondekar, MLA from Bhandara, raised serious concerns about the dismal waste collection system in the city. Joining the attack, Pravin Datke, BJP MLA from Central Nagpur, accused both companies of repeatedly failing to lift garbage on time and brazenly violating contractual norms.
Datke reminded the House that as far back as 2022, the general body of the Nagpur Municipal Corporation had unanimously passed a resolution recommending the cancellation of the contracts awarded to the two companies. Despite this, he alleged, the firms have continued to operate even after their five-year contract period expired, raising serious questions about administrative accountability.
Taking a hard line, Datke demanded the immediate termination of contracts awarded to AG Enviro Infra Projects Pvt. Ltd. and BVG India Ltd., accusing them of turning the city’s waste management system into a chaotic and inefficient operation.
He pointed out that the civic body has already imposed penalties worth crores of rupees on the companies for repeated lapses. Datke further revealed that during the period of administrator rule in the NMC, a high-level meeting was convened to discuss scrapping the contracts. The meeting was attended by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, then NMC Commissioner Abhijeet Chaudhari, and all city MLAs. Yet, despite the consensus, the firms continue to operate, he said.
The two companies are responsible for garbage collection across all 10 zones of Nagpur, but Datke alleged that waste is often lifted only once in two days, and in some areas just twice a week, leaving residents to suffer the stench and health risks caused by overflowing garbage heaps.
Highlighting the alarming logistical gap, Datke said a city with a population exceeding 30 lakh requires around 600 garbage collection vehicles, but barely 400 vehicles are currently deployed. This shortfall, he warned, has led to garbage piling up in several neighbourhoods, tarnishing Nagpur’s reputation and undermining its standing in the national cleanliness rankings.
Adding to the criticism, Vikas Thakre, Congress MLA from West Nagpur, accused the two companies of operating through a web of irregularities and illegal practices. He said citizens across Nagpur have grown increasingly frustrated with the agencies’ poor performance and demanded that the contracts of the “corrupt companies” be scrapped immediately and handed over to a new operator capable of delivering reliable services.
MLA Krishna Khopde also participated in the heated discussion, echoing concerns about the deteriorating waste management system.
Responding to the intense debate, Minister Madhuri Misal reiterated that the State Government would take an appropriate and firm decision after the inquiry committee completes its investigation into the functioning of the two agencies — a move that could ultimately determine whether the controversial contracts are finally terminated or allowed to continue.
