New Delhi: The issue of poor waste management in the city— at a time when the BJP-led Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) is organising a month-long sanitation drive— rocked the standing committee meeting on Wednesday.Despite appointing a new concessionaire for door-to-door garbage collection in the central zone a month ago, councillors, including BJP members, raised serious complaints about ongoing garbage problems. Rajpal Singh, BJP councillor from Sriniwaspuri, said, “There is little to no regular garbage collection in parts of the central zone. Complaints have come in regarding garbage from Okhla and nearby areas being dumped at Sukhdev Vihar. Previously, 17 tippers operated in the zone; now only four remain.”Parveen Kumar, AAP councillor from Janakpuri, said the west zone is also struggling. “The sanitation drive seems only nominal. It’s hard to believe MCD spends so much on garbage collection,” he said.MCD commissioner Ashwani Kumar explained that the original contract for the central zone expired long ago. “Currently, an agency that was a sub-contractor has been hired for six months. We expect vehicle mobilisation by Aug end. The garbage collection volume is under strict supervision,” he said.Key directives in the meeting included prioritising cleanliness and timely repair of public toilets, penalising negligent waste collectors, cracking down on illegal spa centres, and addressing teacher shortages in MCD schools.
