‘Complained to MCD but they give excuses': Garbage woes hit upscale South Delhi colonies
In the heart of South Delhi's most affluent enclaves — some are home to top judges, senior bureaucrats, and retired officers — lie garbage heaps, uncleared silt, and construction debris. From Neeti Bagh to Defence Colony, residents have voiced their growing frustration over erratic municipal cleaning, illegal dumping, and a lack of action.
The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) is responsible for maintaining sanitation in these areas. Due to delays in the constitution of the civic body's Standing Committee — an 18-member body without whose approval no proposals exceeding Rs 5 crore can be cleared — agreements of contractors to whom garbage collection is outsourced have not been renewed, or new contractors have not been hired.
The Standing Committee was finally formed this month after a delay of almost two-and-a-half years. Some councillors The Indian Express spoke to said the situation should improve now.
The Indian Express visits some of these colonies to take stock.
Neeti Bagh
In this upscale locality, where most nameplates outside houses sport high-flying designations at the Supreme Court and High Court, complaints of irregular cleaning and garbage heaps are a constant.
At the end of one street in Neeti Bagh, which boasts of being home to two former attorney generals, two former Supreme Court judges, and three sitting Delhi High Court judges, there is a mound of garbage comprising plastic bags of trash from residences, construction debris, and plastic wrappers. In another street, weeks' worth of waste collected from the park lie in a heap.
Gopal Singh, Honourary Secretary, Supreme Court Bar Cooperative House Building Society Limited, blames the civic body for the state of affairs. 'Instead of issuing fines to residents for their violations, the MCD sanitary inspector takes some money and lets them go scot-free.'
He adds, 'The MCD collects scavenging tax from us, but households have to pay a private vendor, individually, to have their garbage collected. If anyone doesn't pay, it is not picked up.'
Hauz Khas councillor, AAP's Kamal Bhardwaj, blames residents for the illegal dumping of waste in their backlanes. 'If people alert us to any waste, we get it cleaned up in 30 minutes. But a lot of times, people throw their own waste in their backlanes or just let the construction debris lie there,' he adds.
Defence Colony
Defence Colony too has not been spared. In Block C, trash spills out from the garbage collection spot and lines the street. 'I have lodged numerous complaints with the MCD regarding cleanliness and the flooding issue we face here,' says Darshan Paul, a 75-year-old resident.
'Is this how they treat retired senior civil servants? Every time we complain to municipal authorities, they say they have a manpower shortage,' says Promodh Chopra, another resident.
Another common sight is mounds of silt on the roadside. 'They removed silt from the drains to clean them before the monsoon, but left it on the road. This was a good job done undone,' says Major Ranjit Singh (Retired), President of the Defence Colony Welfare Association.
Andrews Ganj councillor, BJP's Anita Basoya, acknowledges the problem of silt getting accumulated and says it is only removed once a substantial amount is gathered. 'The problem of garbage lying around in the open is due to the residents themselves. While garbage is collected in the morning, many homes are cleaned later in the day. Domestic help often dump waste on road corners or green areas — not in the designated area,' she says.
'The last firm enlisted by the MCD was working on an extension for the last two years. A new company is supposed to take over. Now, things will start to get better in a week,' she adds.
New Friends Colony
Complaints about garbage not being collected echo here, too.
'We have complained to the MCD so many times, but they come up with some excuse or the other — that we don't have enough workers or tippers. Even when tippers come to collect the trash, they are so small that much of the waste remains uncollected,' says Lal Singh, Office Secretary, New Friends Colony Residents' Welfare Association (RWA).
In the backlanes, street ends, or other areas less frequented in Block D, horticulture waste, like branches and leaves, remain lying for weeks and get mixed with construction debris and household waste.
According to Rajpal Singh, BJP councillor from the Sri Niwas Puri ward, the problem will be resolved in 15 days. 'While we do get the streets cleaned every day, the entire South Zone is facing a problem with garbage collection due to fewer tippers being used. For the last two-and-a-half years, tenders for appointing a new garbage collection agency were not passed because the Standing Committee had not been formed,' he says.
'So the old contractor was doing a half-hearted job. Once a new contractor is assigned, things will improve.'
Green Park
A mosquito repellent is plugged into a socket outside the front door of a sprawling bungalow in Green Park Extension, Block D2. Just outside the gate, and slowly creeping up the ramp, is a heap of garbage — green waste like leaves and plastic wrappers.
'Look at the repellent… why do you think I have put this outside?' says the 37-year-old resident of the house as she tries to convince her 10-year-old to eat his food.
'The garbage attracts a lot of mosquitoes, and I am scared for my child,' she adds.
'For the last five-six years, the MCD cleaner has been sweeping the garbage and keeping the heap here. It is collected only after a couple of weeks. I have called the MCD many times, but no one listens to me,' she adds.
Green Park councillor, AAP's Sarita Phogat, did not respond when contacted for comment.
South Extension
In South Extension's Block P, garbage lines the streets at many spots. In front of the neighbourhood temple, too, a mound of garbage lies unchecked.
'Whenever sweepers or MCD vehicles visit the area, they ignore the backlanes,' complains Abir Phukan, 43, an advocate who lives in the area.
'The drain, which is also open at some places, is a breeding place for mosquitoes,' he adds.
Kotla Mubarakpur councillor, AAP's Kusum Lata, did not respond to requests for comment.
Greater Kailash
Here, some backlanes sport mounds of construction waste.
Sanjay Anand, General Secretary of Greater Kailash RWA, says, 'When we complain to the MCD, they always make excuses like we don't have enough workers or workers are busy elsewhere. Sometimes cleaners don't come for days on end, and garbage gets accumulated along the roads.'
Former area councillor, BJP's Shikha Roy, did not respond to calls seeking comment. Roy was elected to the Delhi Assembly in February. The ward doesn't have a councillor as bypolls have not taken place.
Soami Nagar
In Soami Nagar, in front of posh Panchsheel Enclave, residents are largely satisfied with cleaning, but there are still complaints about how areas that are less frequented have become a dumping ground.
'Areas that are not residential or abandoned are neglected by cleaners. Sometimes, the cleaners come and dump garbage there,' says Naveen Grover, RWA Member.
'We don't see the benefit of paying so many taxes to the MCD. We always have to run after them to clean up one particular spot or another,' Grover adds.
Krishan Jakhar, AAP's councillor from Chirag Delhi, says the MCD is grappling with staff shortage. 'The BJP is now running the MCD, and no new staff have been recruited. Even then, if we get a grievance, we try to get it resolved immediately.'
Devansh Mittal is a trainee correspondent with The Indian Express. He studied political science at Ashoka University. He can be reached at devansh.mittal@expressindia.com. ... Read More
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