Delhi mega cleanliness drive: Over 3,500 km of MCD roads cleaned, encroachments removed

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) on Friday released its zone-wise progress report on the 20-day mega cleanliness drive which was launched by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on May 1.
All 12 zones of the corporation were covered under the drive that comprised cleaning, encroachment removal, and issuing of challans.
As part of the drive, the MCD has cleaned over 3,500 kilometers of roads — the highest amount of cleaning was done in the Rohini Zone, followed by Najafgarh, Karol Bagh, and South Zone, Gupta said in a statement.
'The 'Swachh Delhi' initiative by the Delhi government is receiving tremendous support from the citizens of the capital. The latest figures released by the MCD shows that this comprehensive cleanliness campaign is delivering remarkable results on the ground,' Gupta had said in a statement.
A total of 11,131 challans were issued against encroachments, with West Zone recording the highest number of 2,994 challans. Additionally, 5,932 illegal materials were seized, and 186.5 kilometers of roads were cleared of encroachments.
Gupta said that to address water-logging issues during monsoon, comprehensive cleaning of the MCD drains was carried out — 19,892.38 metric tonnes of silt has been removed so far.
As of May 21, the Irrigation and Flood Control Department removed 13,72,276 metric tonnes of silt from 27 drains in Delhi, with instructions to complete the removal of the remaining silt by May 31.
Gupta shared that several stray animals have been transferred to various gaushalas and stray dogs vaccinated against rabies, while unauthorised dairies were sealed in Najafgarh and Keshav Puram.
The CM shared that, on an average, 33,809 sanitation workers and other related personnel participated actively in the campaign daily.
The government has also identified 4,139 dark spots and rectified them, repaired 4,140 streetlights and installed 285 new lamps to ensure proper lighting.
Additionally, 283 Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs) were engaged through interactive meetings aimed at empowering citizens' participation in cleanliness.
In busy commercial areas, a night-time cleanliness drive was conducted in 418 major markets and removed 37,628 illegal posters, 8,399 banners and 3,917 hoardings from public walls, poles, and hoardings. Besides, 30 walls have been beautified with cleanliness based artwork and cultural themes.
Efforts such as grass cutting, removal of unauthorized encroachments, elimination of illegal posters, and repair of damaged roads, management of construction and demolition (C&D) waste were amongst the tasks carried out in a similar cleanliness drive that was carried out in all 14 circles of the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC).

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