A total of eight companies actively participated in the pre-bid meeting held in Chandigarh to discuss the establishment of a solid waste management plant. During the meeting, company representatives engaged in detailed discussions on the Request for Proposal (RFP) prepared by the civic body. The discussions took place before a high-powered committee comprising prominent figures such as the UT Adviser, Municipal Corporation Commissioner Anindita Mitra, Chandigarh Mayor Anup Gupta, Chief Engineer NP Sharma, and other senior officers.

The attending members confirmed that the company representatives provided valuable recommendations regarding the RFP, and further deliberations on these suggestions will occur. One notable recommendation pertained to the proposed tenure of 24 months for setting up the plant. The companies expressed that the tenure should commence only after obtaining environmental clearance, which can be a time-consuming process, taking about six to eight months. 

Additionally, the companies requested that the Viability Gap Funding (VGF) – an amount of 800 million or 20 per cent of the total plant cost, whichever is lower, that the civic body is obligated to pay – should be provided in advance. However, the committee disagreed with this proposition and asserted that the VGF would be disbursed as per the scheduled plan.

Moreover, during the meeting, the companies specified that they might seek tipping fees from the civic body based on the daily waste quantity of 550 tonnes. Nonetheless, the officials responded that they would calculate and provide tipping fees based on the monthly average, considering that the quantity of waste varies daily.

Municipal Corporation Commissioner Anindita Mitra informed that all the queries and requests submitted by the eight parties would be compiled and presented before the technical committee. The technical committee will then assess the recommendations and incorporate those that are deemed acceptable with slight modifications into the RFP. Subsequently, the revised RFP will be presented once again before the high-powered committee. Upon receiving approval from both the high-powered and technical committees, tenders for the project will be issued, moving the process forward.