The municipal corporation's long-pending solid waste management project is nearing reality after both bids cleared technical evaluations. The civic body had struggled to attract investors for over a year as earlier tenders drew no interest because of high cost and long-term commitments. The latest tender, issued on March 21 and set to close on April 7, required seven deadline extensions before two bids were received in July. A senior engineer in the civic body said technical evaluations are complete and that financial discussions are underway with both firms, with a contract to be awarded only after thorough deliberations. This milestone is significant as a failure by even one bidder would have voided the process and forced a fresh tender. The project is structured as a public private partnership. The comprehensive Rs 14.08 billion (bn) project, titled Development of Integrated Solid Waste Management for Municipal Corporation Ludhiana through public private partnership, covers collection, transportation, processing and disposal. It will establish door to door collection of municipal solid waste (MSW) in a segregated manner from waste generators, transport waste to secondary compactor transfer stations, and provide final processing and disposal facilities. The plan aims to modernise existing operations and introduce sustained management practices. The unit tonne (t) is used for mass measurements in project reporting. The initiative comes as Ludhiana confronts a severe processing deficit, producing around 1,100 t of municipal solid waste daily against a 300 t daily capacity at the Jamalpur plant. The shortfall has resulted in accumulating mounds of refuse that grow larger over time. Officials expect the integrated facilities to reduce the processing gap and mitigate public health and environmental pressures. The civic body will proceed with financial evaluations before selecting a preferred bidder and finalising contractual terms, mindful of the project's scale and long term obligations. Successful implementation is expected to transform waste management in the city if executed as planned.