Who manages Delhi Airport’s waste? DIAL and MCD go head to head to stake claim

Opposing the move, DIAL has said that the tender “unauthorisedly and unlawfully includes the Airport Zone, which is undisputedly within the exclusive domain of DIAL”.

While the court is yet to decide on who holds jurisdiction over the area, on December 24, 2024, it had directed MCD to not process the tender to the extent it concerns the area, which falls within the Airport Zone under the Delhi Master Plan.

The MCD, meanwhile, has highlighted the risk of persistent bird strikes and maintained that existing waste management facilities being maintained by DIAL are insufficient. According to MCD, it generates solid waste of around 11,000 TPD at present.

The DIAL has highlighted that the Airport Zone — which includes terminals, facilities like in-flight catering/kitchens and Air Traffic Control, government and security agency offices, as well as Aerocity — at the Indira Gandhi International Airport was leased to it by the Airports Authority of India (AAI).

It has added that it was granted exclusive rights for Operation, Maintenance, and Development Agreement (OMDA), which includes aeronautical services such as disposal of bulk waste.

The DIAL is relying on a 2021 HC order in its favour to reiterate that it is the “custodian” of the Airport Zone to dispose of bulk waste generated in the area.

In 2022, DIAL had relegated management and disposal of bulk waste at the zone through expert agency JK Contractors, signing an agreement for a period of 10 years.

As per DIAL’s plea, if MCD is ceded control for waste management in the area, it would lead to an “absurdity” where DIAL is legally obliged to manage the waste in the zone and is yet unable to, thanks to MCD awarding the contract of waste management to a third party.

Part of DIAL’s agreement with JK Contractors requires the latter to set up an MRF for waste generated from the Airport Zone, with an objective of “zero waste to landfills”, and according to DIAl, JK Contractors has already invested over Rs 10 crore on the same so far.

The MCD, on the other hand, has contended that it alone is the local body entrusted with all aspects of solid waste management under the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016 and bylaws of 2017.

The MCD, on December 24, 2024, through its standing counsel Tushar Sannu Dahiya, told HC that while the airport itself may be left outside the scope of the tender, commercial areas, even if they fall within the Airport Zone, are not liable to be left out.

It added that the commercial areas outside the main airport, “including hotels in Aerocity, are bulk waste generators… and are liable to the same rules applicable to other bulk waste generators”.

The civic body has also told HC that JK Contractors is “not being able to manage the solid waste being produced in this part of Najafgarh zone”, and its “undercapacity” is resulting in “incessant illegal dumping of waste having origin from airport and Aerocity…”, which in turn is “attracting birds, which could turn fatal as the same would lead to bird hit in aircraft flying in and out of the airport”.

It also said that JK Contractors’ MRF can manage only about 2 MT of waste on a daily basis against the total waste generation of around 50 metric TPD, making it “apparent that the remaining waste was being dumped illegally”.

According to documents submitted by the MCD before HC, it had fined DIAL Rs 6.32 lakh in January alone for violation of waste management laws.