Mayor–MLA rift behind Mohali’s garbage crisis, says SAD leader Ajaypal Middukhera
Babushahi Bureau
Mohali (Punjab), October 25, 2025: The garbage crisis in Punjab’s so-called ‘VIP City’ Mohali has spiraled out of control, with towering heaps of waste now piling up in residential areas, markets, and major city routes.
Nearly 18 months after the Punjab and Haryana High Court banned dumping at the Industrial Area Phase 8B site, the Municipal Corporation has still not finalized an alternative dumping ground — leaving residents to suffer amid stench, disease, and administrative paralysis.
Senior Shiromani Akali Dal leader Ajaypal Singh Middukhera on Saturday squarely blamed political infighting for the mess.
“It is unfortunate that the personal feud between the Mayor and the MLA has taken precedence over public welfare. The people of Mohali are living in filth because of this civic mismanagement,” he said. “Both leaders must rise above politics and work jointly to restore cleanliness and dignity to the city.”
Mohali’s fall from grace is visible in official records — once ranked among Punjab’s cleanest cities, it has now slipped to 11th place out of 35 in the latest Swachh Survekshan survey. With no dumping site in place and 150–200 tonnes of waste generated daily, sanitation systems are on the verge of collapse.
Local residents, activists, and civic groups have urged the Punjab Government to step in immediately and resolve the political deadlock, warning that the crisis could soon become an environmental and public health emergency.