New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday (October 4) visited the Okhla landfill site and said the work to process and remove waste from the massive dump was running behind the projected target. Interacting with reporters, the chief minister also said that the Delhi government is planning to hire the MCD “as an agency” to carry out mechanical sweeping and cleaning of roads falling under the jurisdiction of the PWD and the civic body.
The Chief Minister’s visit to the Okhla landfill site comes days after an inspection of work being done at the Bhalswa landfill site.
There were 45 lakh tonnes of waste in this mountain of garbage at Okhla. Work began last November to process and remove it gradually, and the target was to remove 30 lakh tonnes by May 2024, CM Kejriwal told reporters. He said,
But, this work is running slightly behind the projected target. Till date, about 18 lakh tonnes had to be removed, but (only) 12 lakh tonnes has been removed.
There are multiple reasons for this. But the process of hiring another agency has started to speed up the work, as one agency is not able to meet the target.
Also Read: Municipal Corporation of Delhi To Remove ‘Mini Garbage Mountains’ Under Cleanliness Campaign
Since the standing committee of the MCD is not in place, and the matter is in court, as soon as the panel gets set up, both agencies will then work to meet the projected target. the chief minister said,
We expect the target to be reached. Delhi government and the MCD, we are working to remove the mountains of garbage. And last week, we visited the Bhalswa site.
To a query on a study on nanoparticles and pollution in Delhi, he said that he agreed with it. CM Kejriwal further said,
We are planning to have on PWD roads, mechanical sweeping and cleaning also… We will do it on MCD roads too.
On the plan to hire the MCD as an agency, the chief minister said the Cabinet note is ready and it should be done by this or the next week. Chief minister told reporters,
Then the MCD will start work on sweeping, first the roads under the PWD spanning 1,480 km, and then the roads under the MCD.
Also Read: Garbage Dump Sites In Kerala To Be Turned Into Parks By End Of 2023
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
NDTV – Dettol have been working towards a clean and healthy India since 2014 via the Banega Swachh India initiative, which is helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan. The campaign aims to highlight the inter-dependency of humans and the environment, and of humans on one another with the focus on One Health, One Planet, One Future – Leaving No One Behind. It stresses on the need to take care of, and consider, everyone’s health in India – especially vulnerable communities – the LGBTQ population, indigenous people, India’s different tribes, ethnic and linguistic minorities, people with disabilities, migrants, geographically remote populations, gender and sexual minorities. In wake of the current COVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign will continue to raise awareness on the same along with focussing on the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children, fight malnutrition, mental wellbeing, self care, science and health, adolescent health & gender awareness. Along with the health of people, the campaign has realised the need to also take care of the health of the eco-system. Our environment is fragile due to human activity, which is not only over-exploiting available resources, but also generating immense pollution as a result of using and extracting those resources. The imbalance has also led to immense biodiversity loss that has caused one of the biggest threats to human survival – climate change. It has now been described as a “code red for humanity.” The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene. Banega Swasth India will also be taking forward the dream of Swasth Bharat, the campaign feels that only a Swachh or clean India where toilets are used and open defecation free (ODF)status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and the country can become a Swasth or healthy India.
