Ahead of the forthcoming Delhi Legislative Assembly polls, inadequate sanitation remains a pressing issue even in the national capital’s VVIP zone of New Delhi Municipal Council.
Less than 200 metres away from Parliament, improper waste management can be witnessed in the area which is being represented in the Assembly by former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. The seat is witnessing a high decibel contest where Kejriwal is facing Congress’ Sandeep Dikshit and Bharatiya Janata Party’s likely candidate is Parvesh Verma.
Though NDMC claims that these areas are well-maintained, with regular cleaning services and waste management system in place, garbage is often discarded indiscriminately in public space near Press Club of India in central Delhi, leading to unsightly and hazardous conditions.
Located near Chelmsford Club, the slums in the area suffer from a lack of basic sanitation infrastructure. Piles of untreated garbage accumulate on the footpath, creating breeding grounds for diseases, and the stench of uncollected waste permeates the air in the area which falls in the New Delhi constituency.
The residents of these slums, already grappling with poor living conditions and limited access to healthcare, bear the brunt of this unsustainable waste management system. The improper sanitation in the neighbourhood not only affects the health and well-being of the most vulnerable population but also highlights the urgent need for systemic reform to address waste management across all areas of the city.
Speaking to Tehelka.com, a resident said that no one comes here to clean the area and people are suffering without proper sanitation.
“We are facing difficulties due to this piled up garbage and when we complain about it workers say that they are not deployed in this area. When some officers or political leaders come for inspection, NDMC workers come to clean the area,” a female resident said.
She also claimed that they are provided with a speech and asked to say exactly in front of the officers during inspection.
“Water keeps coming out of the sewers and nobody is listening to us,” she said.
Echoing the same, another resident said that we are bound to sweep the area on our own and pick the garbage to the trolley as no sanitation worker comes here for the garbage collection.
“When there is a checking spree or someone important is coming only then the garbage is picked up from this area otherwise nobody comes here for the sweeping or any other sanitation worker,” the resident said.
However, NDMC Director (PR) Radha Krishnan denied any lapses in sanitation services. “We can’t accept that there is laxity on our part in terms of sanitation in the area. I will take feedback from the department but I cannot accept that there is a laxity on our part as there has been regular drives for cleanliness and inspectors and nodal officers have been appointed for the same,” Krishnan said.
