NEW DELHI: With thousands of municipal sanitation workers protesting non-payment of salaries, several parts of the city are littered with garbage raising the stink of apathetic state of civic affairs in the national capital.
The residents are once again staring at heaps of garbage strewn all over the streets of North Delhi, which is the most densely populated and badly affected area due to the strike by the sanitation staff who are refusing to pick up the garbage.
While the AAP and BJP are busy blaming each other for the situation, people have been forced to walk on garbage for over a week now, at a time when hygiene is of utmost importance. With Republic Day just around the corner, mounds of garbage have continued to pile on roads in several localities including areas near Red Fort like Sadar Bazar, Chandni Chowk.
“The conditions are getting bad in Chandni Chowk due to the garbage left on the streets. The municipal corporations are not doing their job,” said Sanjay Bhargav, president, Chandni Chowk Market Association.
AAP spokesperson Saurabh Bhardwaj termed this as a “strategy” by BJP which has control over the three municipal corporations of the national capital.
“This is a strategy by the BJP to put Delhi to shame. They are unable to pay salaries to staff because whatever funds they have left is being pocketed by their leaders. The other revenue sources that the MCDs can use to generate money for its finances are not being managed properly,” said Bhardwaj.
According to the AAP, the Delhi Development Authority owes about Rs 2,000 crores to the North MCD and SDMC, but the MCDs are not pushing for that fund as the DDA comes under the BJP-led central government. “What are the steps has the Delhi BJP chief taken to bring this money from the DDA? We demand that the BJP immediately disclose why they have not taken any initiative to get this money from the DDA,” Bhardwaj added.