Mohali, Nov. 13 -- The city's resource management centres (RMCs) -- facilities designed to process and recover value from waste -- have turned into eyesores, with overflowing garbage heaps spilling onto roads and spreading unbearable stench across neighbourhoods. Despite repeated complaints, sanitation authorities appear to have turned a blind eye, allowing waste to pile up for weeks - and sometimes months - before any clearance, only for the mess to return within days. All 14 RMC points in Mohali are overflowing, but conditions at the Phase 10, Sectors 67, 80 centres are the worst, with garbage spreading all the way to the main road. With a population of 2.3 lakh, the city generates nearly 150 tonnes of garbage daily, yet it continues to operate without a permanent waste processing system. Two temporary waste-processing plants - one at Shahimajra (40 tonnes per day capacity) and another at Jagatpura (80 tonnes per day capacity) - remain non-functional. Officials admitted that the private contractor hired for waste disposal is irregularly transporting garbage to Haryana, worsening the crisis. Piles of rotting waste spilling out of RMC gates have created severe health and sanitation hazards, with residents reporting foul odours, mosquito infestation, and respiratory discomfort. Commuters using roads near RMCs have also complained of filthy surroundings and blocked passages due to waste encroachment. A resident near the Phase 10 RMC, said, "The garbage hasn't been cleared for days. It's impossible to step out without covering our noses." Similar complaints have poured in from across the city, with locals accusing the municipal corporation (MC) of apathy and poor waste management. When contacted, Mohali MC commissioner Parminder Pal Singh Sandhu said, "Waste processing solutions are underway. The city is facing challenges due to objections raised by councillors and residents about the proximity of processing plants to residential areas. Concerns about odour, mosquito breeding, and health risks have delayed the process. We are trying to resolve these issues." Meanwhile, resident welfare associations (RWAs) have intensified protests against waste segregation near homes. A recent demonstration outside the Phase 3-A RMC point forced the MC to halt operations temporarily. However, plans to install a processing plant at the same site have reignited local resistance. Ward No. 1 councillor Jaspreet Kaur lambasted the authorities for inaction. "The city has gone to the dogs. Heaps of garbage and foul smells are everywhere. This is the so-called 'Future City' they promised?" she said. The crisis has already been reflected in Mohali's plummeting national cleanliness rankings. In the Swachh Survekshan 2025 results released in July, Mohali slipped to 128th place among 903 cities (with populations between 50,000 and 3 lakh), a sharp fall from 82nd last year. Within Punjab, it dropped to 11th place among 35 cities - a steep decline from last year's first position among cities with populations above one lakh....