Chandigarh, Dec. 12 -- The Union ministry of housing and urban affairs on Thursday informed the Lok Sabha that 55,000 metric tonnes of unprocessed waste at Chandigarh's Dadumajra dumpsite is still under remediation, even though the Union Territory has reported clearing the entire 5.1 lakh MT of legacy waste. The update comes amid mounting concerns over repeated extensions granted for completing the long-pending bioremediation project. Responding to a question raised by Chandigarh MP Manish Tewari, minister of state for housing and urban affairs Tokhan Sahu reiterated that sanitation is a State subject under the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution. He said that while planning and execution fall under the purview of the state and urban local bodies, the Centre continues to monitor Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban) projects through regular review meetings and field inspections. Tewari asked why the Chandigarh municipal corporation (MC) had repeatedly revised its deadline for clearing the Dadumajra dumpsite. He cited earlier assurances given before the National Green Tribunal (NGT) and in parliamentary replies, which had initially committed to completing bioremediation by December 2024 and later by July 2025. The civic body has since pushed the deadline further to November 30, 2025. In its written reply, the ministry stated that while all identified legacy waste-amounting to 5.1 lakh MT-has been fully remediated, 55,000 MT of newly accumulated and unprocessed waste remains untreated. Though the Centre acknowledged these shifting deadlines, the minister did not specify the reasons behind the repeated delays. Instead, the reply emphasised that the UT administration has "ensured adequate waste processing to avoid recurrence" of legacy waste buildup. MP Tewari said, it is extremely disappointing that the government has chosen to completely obfuscate and cover up the fact that the Chandigarh MC has been repeatedly shifting timelines for the clearance of the Dadumajra garbage dump since November 2024. However, the dump will have to be cleared in its entirety by the civic body and the administration. I will continue raising this issue in Parliament and at every available forum. The residents of Chandigarh must be freed from this garbage dump and the vile odour it emits," he said. Dadumajra dumpsite remains one of Chandigarh's most pressing environmental concerns, with the NGT regularly monitoring its status and directing authorities to accelerate waste clearance due to health and ecological risks. Even as officials claim substantial progress in remediating older waste, the continued accumulation of fresh garbage-and the absence of a clear, enforceable timeline-has renewed scrutiny of the MC's capacity to manage waste sustainably. The ministry stated that it remains in coordination with the UT to ensure timely completion of the remaining remediation and to prevent the development of yet another long-term garbage mound at the site....