CHENNAI: The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) has approved the permanent closure of the 10-MT capacity waste incinerator at Manali and cancelled the Letter of Acceptance (LOA) issued for repair works. The Corporation has also decided to auction the machinery installed at the facility.

The incinerator, commissioned in 2019 under HDFC Bank’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funding, was operated by the Solid Waste Management Department to process dry waste collected door-to-door in Zone 2.

Materials such as textiles, bags, footwear, old soft waste and sanitary napkins were incinerated at the facility. However, the plant faced recurring technical failures, with combustion chambers and base plates developing faults periodically, making frequent maintenance unavoidable.

Despite shortages of spare parts and manpower, the incinerator continued operations, during which period the renewal of its Consent to Operate (CTO) was not carried out.

Based on reports highlighting the alleged illegal operation of the facility for several years without valid regulatory approvals, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) took suo motu cognisance and initiated proceedings.

Parallelly, the GCC had issued an LOA to Triad Infratech for repair works at the facility. As the firm failed to commence work even four months after the LOA was issued, the Corporation moved to cancel the contract.

The incinerator also drew sustained public opposition over its environmental and health impact. In October 2025, the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) confirmed the presence of toxic heavy metals in the bottom ash, with contamination levels recorded as high as 360 times the permissible limit.

In its report to the southern bench of the NGT, the TNPCB said the bottom ash contained heavy metals exceeding limits prescribed under Schedule II of the Hazardous and Other Wastes (Management and Transboundary Movement) Rules, 2016.

Welcoming the decision, the Federation of North Chennai Residents’ Welfare Associations said, “Shutting down the Manali incinerator was a long-overdue outcome of years of public resistance and documented environmental and health concerns. It’s a necessary corrective after prolonged regulatory and administrative failure.”