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The Hindu
6 hours ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Delhi to get facelift as CM announces special cleanliness drive
Chief Minister Rekha Gupta launched a city-wide cleanliness drive on Tuesday, which will be conducted from August 1 to 31. The campaign, titled 'Delhi's Freedom from Garbage Cleanliness Drive', will bring together multiple agencies and citizens under a common motive – to make the Capital cleaner, greener and garbage-free. 'We are writing a golden chapter in Delhi's history. For the first time, agencies such as the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, Public Works Department, Delhi Police, and others will work together in full coordination. Every citizen must take ownership under the campaign,' Ms. Gupta said, adding that the Municipal Corporation of Delhi has been allocated ₹5 crore for this campaign. To encourage community participation, she announced cash rewards of ₹25 lakh for the best-performing Resident Welfare Association, ₹15 lakh and ₹10 lakh for the second and third positions respectively. The CM also said that the first two days of the drive will focus on clearing backlogs in schools, hospitals, and offices. During Saturdays and Sundays, efforts will be made to clean up unauthorised colonies and slum clusters. Special drives are planned at the Yamuna ghats on August 14, 21, and 28, while the drive will be conducted at the Ring Road on August 29 and 31. Urban Development Minister Ashish Sood asserted that cleanliness must not be limited to VIP zones, and the 'real soul' of Delhi resides in slum clusters and unauthorised colonies. 'For decades, these areas were deprived of cleanliness and dignity as if it were a privilege of the rich. This drive will change that narrative,' he said.
Hindustan Times
21 hours ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Delhi: MCD schools told to clean neighbourhoods
A directive by the Delhi Department of Education to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi Commissioner instructs every school to identify areas near the premises to keep clean as part of the 'Delhi Freedom from Garbage - Cleanliness Drive' campaign. Delhi: MCD schools told to clean neighbourhoods Teachers are afraid that the ambiguous usage of word 'staff' would mean that they would be expected to carry out the cleaning tasks themselves, sparking various objections. The letter dated July 25 and seen by HT says, 'Every school will identify a place/area/lane/gully/park etc. for 'Each One Clean One' in the school vicinity outside the school which will be kept clean by them. Since primary school students may not go outside premises, therefore staff should go for cleaning outside.' A member of MCD teachers' union said, 'There is a shortage of cleaners in the schools. Most are paid on a daily basis. So already we teachers have to do every duty in the schools, from acting as the guards and gardeners, to doing the work of computer operators. We cannot also be expected to do this.' Teachers also highlighted that the existing sanitation workers are already overworked. Echoing the sentiment, Seema Mathur, Akhil Delhi Prathmik Shikshak Sangh chairperson said,'They have to clean the entire school. How will they manage this additional work? If an official order directs teachers to participate, we will oppose it.' The teachers also highlighted the impact on students' safety and education. 'We are already short-staffed. Even if one or two teachers go off duty, who will look after their class?,' said another MCD school teacher. MCD standing committee chairperson Satya Sharma said, 'The teachers will not have to do the cleaning, they will only direct and ensure that the work is done.' She added that the MCD will provide sanitation workers to schools which do not have them, for a month. Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta had announced a month-long citywide campaign on July 25. Running from August 1 to August 31, it will be a part of the Independence Day celebrations and aims to mobilise collective citizen participation to free the capital of garbage.
Time of India
a day ago
- Politics
- Time of India
MCD committee to meet to chalk out ‘acceptable' plan
New Delhi: The first meeting of the committee set up following the directive given by the chairman of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi's standing committee to address the growing stray dog problem in the city will convene on Wednesday. The nine-member panel, which includes the additional commissioner and veterinary director of the civic body, was tasked with overseeing the implementation of control measures and proposing necessary modifications to the Animal Birth Control Regulations, which will also be communicated to the central govt. The formation of the panel was prompted by several councillors reporting incidents of dog bites in their wards. Sunder Singh Tanwar, BJP councillor from Bhati who heads the committee, said that details had been sought from the veterinary department on the number of sterilisation centres running under MCD's jurisdiction, their functioning status, their per-day sterilisation capacity and grey areas, if any. "We have also asked for details of NGOs and veterinary doctors associated with these centres, the last street dog census conducted by MCD and the status of the current plan to hold a fresh census of stray canines in the city," Tanwar said. On the basis of this information, the committee will chalk out an action plan. "We will involve the residents' welfare associations, residents and dog lovers in the finalisation of the plan and its implementation to ensure an acceptable solution," said Tanwar. "We plan to identify the assembly constituencies where the action plan will be implemented on a pilot basis." You Can Also Check: Delhi AQI | Weather in Delhi | Bank Holidays in Delhi | Public Holidays in Delhi In the previous standing committee meeting, chairperson Satya Sharma approved a proposal to establish dog shelters in all 12 municipal zones. "The new committee will work on the initiative on dog shelters. This will include identifying suitable locations, assessing resource requirements, budget estimation and coordinating with NGOs and expert organisations associated with public health and animal welfare. The committee will not only focus on animal welfare but will also ensure that public safety, sanitation and health concerns arising from stray dogs are effectively addressed," Sharma had said. The councillors had earlier expressed apprehension that the current ABC Regulations restricted the relocation of stray dogs because of which shifting some dogs to shelters would be difficult to implement. To this, Sharma said there was a need for an amendment to facilitate such a relocation. The committee was directed to examine this legal gap and recommend suitable policy changes. MCD officials added that in their submission to Delhi govt's chief secretary, they had underlined the need for developing relocation centres where dogs reported to be habitual biters or furious in nature could be housed. "There already is a Delhi High Court direction to Delhi govt to work on a policy on this matter," an official said. "The policy will require an amendment to the ABC Regulations because we can hold a dog for observation only for a maximum of 10 days. Since now certain dogs could be kept at relocation centres for their lifetime because of people's complaints, we will need changes in the norms." MCD has 20 sterilisation centres and they are run by 13 NGOs, all registered with the Animal Welfare Control Board of India. "These NGOs have the capacity to sterilise and give anti-rabies vaccination to 10,000 dogs per day. Some of these centres are operational at Delhi govt's veterinary hospital," said an official. "We have floated plans to create additional kennels at some sites in Usmanpur, Rohini, etc., which will share the burden of the hospital centres. We are in the process of having the budgets for these sanctioned."
Indian Express
2 days ago
- Health
- Indian Express
Pigeon 1, MCD 0: Why Delhiites won't stop feeding their feathered friends
At 9 am, Muhammad Yunus fixes his blue umbrella near Delhi Gate on Asaf Ali Road. Methodically, he lays out plates filled with a spread of green and black gram, dried corn and namkeen. He then waits for customers — the dozens of people who stop at his roadside stall to feed pigeons. 'I sell roasted gram for Rs 10-20, depending on the demand. The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has sent us challans, asking us to vacate the area,' says Yunus, who has been running his tiny stall at this spot for the last 15 years. Soon after, Sudha Pandey arrives with a Rs 10 note. She buys a cup of roasted gram for the birds. 'I have been coming here for seven days now to pray for my husband who is admitted in the hospital. When we feed someone, they bless us,' she says. In a letter dated July 8, the MCD's health department asked the veterinary department to control the Capital's burgeoning pigeon population. This followed warnings about pigeon faeces causing respiratory and fungal infections and the need to control their population. The issue of the birds being a public menace and causing diseases also became a topic of discussion in the civic body's Standing Committee in a meeting on June 27. Last year, the MCD had said that public feeding of pigeons, which leads to the population of the birds increasing beyond the carrying capacity of an area, would be checked. In a similar move earlier this month, the Maharashtra government had directed the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation to close kabootar khanas or pigeon feeding spots in the city, citing serious health hazards due to pigeon droppings and feathers. According to Dr Vikas Maurya, senior director and head of Pulmonology at Fortis Hospital in Shalimar Bagh, pigeon droppings are the root cause of many diseases in India. 'These can cause fungal and bacterial diseases such as Campylobacter, allergic reactions such as sneezing, running nose, itching eyes as well as Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis, which can eventually cause lung fibrosis,' he says. 'Hawkers don't even realise that being exposed to the birds for so long is harmful. The rampant increase in pigeon population needs to be controlled,' he adds. Tradition and faith, however, mean that enforcement is tough. 'The civic body cannot completely ban pigeon feeding activities in Delhi. Also, as of now, we do not have any plan to construct designated pigeon feeding areas,' a senior MCD official says. Over the past three months, however, the MCD has put up announcement boards at popular feeding spots to warn people. The Indian Express visited some spots where bird feeders gather regularly. Shastri Park Almost 20 km from Delhi Gate, MCD workers clean polythene bags with pigeon feed lying on the pavement at Shastri Park. As vehicles pass by, dried pigeon excrement and loose feathers fly in the air. 'We ask people not to feed birds here, but they don't listen… They keep flocking to the area, pigeon feed in hand,' one of the MCD workers says. The worker adds that occasionally, pigeons are captured and taken to a veterinary hospital in Teliwara Shahdara, where they are kept in a cage. Rajghat Ramjeet, who feeds pigeons everyday while on the way to his office near Rajghat, is unconcerned about the MCD's directive. 'If the MCD wants us to stop, they should build some designated feeding spots facilities. We will go there.' The feeding spot he has chosen is in the central verge of two busy roads going towards ITO and ISBT Kashmere Gate. The pigeons flock to the centre of the large open space as soon as passersby stop to empty a sack of grain. Two hawkers, who sell grains here, keep their ware hidden, as a nearby MCD board reads — 'No Feeding Zone'. Chittaranjan Park For residents staying near Chittaranjan Park in Southeast Delhi, the pigeon feeding spot located near B Block has been a major cause of concern. Feathers, dried faeces, grains, sometimes even dead birds, are routinely found at the spot. The feeders, they claim, pay no heed to traffic rules, parking their vehicles in the middle of the road – sometimes also in the wrong direction – to feed birds. A resident of Nehru Apartments, Satish Kumar, says the birds fly low near the feeding spot, resulting in injuries to many motorists. 'We can't walk around the feeding spot, it smells. The food that rots there has led to an increase in the rat population; the rodents sometimes enter our homes too… Moreover, pigeons build nests in our balconies, which are also full of dried faeces,' he adds. Piyush Prasad, the RWA president of Nehru Apartments, says many pigeons die when vehicles hit them. 'This has led to an increase in the feline population as well, since they feed on the carcass.'
Time of India
2 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
NGT seeks clarification from MCD on waste management at Ghazipur landfill
New Delhi: After the Municipal Corporation of Delhi shared its plan to clear the Ghazipur landfill by 2028, the National Green Tribunal has asked for clarity on lapses in waste management, the waste-to-energy (WTE) plant there and leachate management, saying the untreated waste was adding to the legacy waste at Ghazipur. While pointing out that the operational capacity of the WTE plant was 800-850 tonnes per day, NGT asked the civic body to explain how 700-1,000 tonnes were reaching Ghazipur WTE. "MCD needs to disclose the plant's actual capacity and consented utilisation, along with the supporting materials such as daily electricity generated by it and the details of its utilisation/feeding into the central grid," the tribunal said. Commenting on MCD's report on its plan to clear the Ghazipur landfill by 2028, a bench headed by justice Prakash Shrivastava said in an order dated July 10, "Though the dump site receives waste in the range of 2,400–2,600 tonnes per day, it is presently processing a much lesser quantity. Therefore, the untreated waste is adding to the legacy waste. The WTE plant in Ghazipur is presently utilising only 7,00-1,000 tonnes of waste daily. The waste, which was going to the WTE plant at Okhla till April 2025, has stopped. The gap in the receipt and treatment of the solid waste is reflected, yet without disclosing the details of filling this gap and the steps that will be taken to clear the legacy waste, the targeted timeline for complete clearance is stated to be 2028." You Can Also Check: Delhi AQI | Weather in Delhi | Bank Holidays in Delhi | Public Holidays in Delhi MCD told NGT that a 5-acre area was partly cleared by Sept 2024. "MCD is required to disclose how this five-acre area has been cleared when there is a regular addition to the legacy waste on account of the gap in waste processing. It is also required to disclose the quantum of waste that is presently lying in the Ghazipur site as legacy waste," said NGT. The tribunal observed that MCD stated that through bio-mining using trommels, more than 10,000 tonnes of waste were being processed and disposed of at the landfill. "MCD is required to provide full details of the resources available for the bio-mining, their utilisation along with supporting material, as well as the manner of disposal of the bio-mined waste/material in quantifiable terms," NGT directed. Pointing out from MCD's report that leachate collected from the site was sent to the Okhla leachate treatment plant, NGT said, "The collection of leachate during the monsoon and post-monsoon period varies." Asking MCD to share month-wise data on leachate collection of the past 12 months, NGT noted that MCD's report stated that a kaccha drain has been made for leachate flowing towards the collection tank. "The possibility of contamination of groundwater and soil by flowing leachate in the kaccha drain exists; therefore, MCD is required to explain this," said the tribunal. NGT pointed out that the report also stated that in the leachate, chromium, nickel, fluoride, oil and grease and ammoniacal nitrogen were found to be present. "The fly ash prepared from this leachate may contain these heavy metals, which is used for some other purposes; therefore, if the testing of the fly ash is done," said the bench, which has granted MCD six weeks to submit a detailed report. The matter will be next heard on Oct 16.
