NEW DELHI: The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has come up with extensive standard operating procedures (SOPs) of civic preparedness, detailing how Delhi will clean up, beautify, and manage key public spaces to project itself as per “world-class standards”.
The SOPs are targeted at top global events that attract political and business leaders from the around the world and are routinely organised in the city.
The procedures chalk out an elaborate plan to remove garbage mounds, relocate roadside dhalaos, clear encroachments, impound stray animals, conceal construction sites, and eliminate hanging cables from VVIP areas and routes on which delegate move during major events.
The MCD document, which has been approved by its commissioner, accessed by this newspaper states that Delhi regularly hosts “Heads of States, Heads of Governments, senior diplomats, global CEOs, and delegations from across the world”, thus putting the city’s civic management under “intense international scrutiny”.
A detailed monitoring system has also been created for implementation of the SOPs, including 24x7 zonal control rooms, WhatsApp-based field monitoring groups, CCTV-linked supervision and daily inspection reports from ward-level officers.
As part of the sanitation plan of the SOPs, the civic body has mandated deployment of mechanised road sweeping machines, jet cleaning operations, and anti-smog guns on all key routes. It has also mandated removal of garbage mounds and fly-tip sites, while directing officials to ensure that dhalao structures are cleaned from roadsides or temporarily relocated away from focus areas.
Further, the SOP mandates round-the-clock deployment of sanitation staff along VVIP and delegate movement corridors, warning that “no lapse is permissible” during the event period. Most importantly, in a major anti-encroachment push, the MCD has directed officials to identify and remove temporary structures, illegal stalls, construction material, vendor carts, and vehicle dumps from key VVIP stretches on a “war footing”.
Additionally, stricter regulation of tehbazaris and daily enforcement patrols have been proposed to prevent re-encroachment during summit periods.
The SOP also calls for the removal of abandoned and illegally parked vehicles from important routes in coordination with the Delhi Police and traffic management authorities.
In terms of beautification, the civic body has directed installation of floral displays, decorative planters, mural art, and thematic lighting across focus zones. The departments have been instructed to remove all political graffiti, faded posters, illegal banners, and branding from previous events across roads, bus shelters, and public structures.
VVIP routes to be cleared of stray animal menace
Another main component of the plan includes stray animal management. The civic body has mandated round-the-clock operations for impounding stray cattle, dogs, and monkeys from VVIP routes, hotel zones, tourist destinations, and market areas.