Mohali, July 28 -- Even as Mohali grapples with a growing solid waste crisis, the much-needed Solid Waste Management Project at Samgoli in Dera Bassi remains entangled in bureaucratic red tape.

Land for the project was allotted in 2012. But 13 years later, the project remains hanging in balance, leaving the city choking under mounds of unprocessed garbage and denting its Swachh Survekshan score each year.

Stinking heaps have become landmarks across neighbourhoods, drawing flies and stray animals, much to residents' dismay.

Housing a population of 2.3 lakh, Mohali generates around 150 tonnes of waste daily. But shockingly, it still lacks a permanent mechanism for processing the garbage.

After years of delay, the municipal corporation (...