NEW DELHI: Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Thursday said that the BJP-ruled Municipal Corporation of Delhi instead of clearing city’s three garbage mountains are now planning to set up 16 more landfill sites across the national capital, a claim which was refuted as “baseless” by the civic body.
Sisodia during a press conference accused the BJP of now planning to establish 16 more landfill sites across the city. “Instead of getting the existing trash mountains cleaned, now they are coming up with new landfill sites to add to the woes of the residents. This plan of the BJP will put the life of citizens in danger,” he said.
He added that no matter from which side of the capital you enter, the visibility of these tall garbage mountains show proof of the BJP’s failure in waste management across the city. “Due to the negligence of the BJP, people living near three landfill sites are already struggling for life. They are bound to bear the choking smell of garbage round the clock and live under the threat of hazardous fire incidents which are often reported at the landfill sites,” he said.
The allegations come ahead of the municipal polls in the city. Appealing to residents, Sisodia said that the Delhi government has a solid plan to tackle the waste crisis and this time around they must give a chance to Arvind Kejriwal’s governance in the MCD, to get rid of this perennial issue.
The MCD issued a statement refuting the allegations. “MCD completely denies the allegation and wish to state that there is no such plan to establish any new sanitary landfill sites. Instead, we are working to flatten the three existing landfill sites. At few places, it has reduced the height of garbage mounds by 10-15 meters,” it said.
Meanwhile, police on Thursday stopped an AAP-led group from reaching the Okhla landfill site, the party alleged, prompting Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to ask if police should be deployed for the protection of women or garbage hills.
Later, the group led by Aam Aadmi Party MLA Saurabh Bharadwaj held a protest and raised anti-BJP slogans.Sisodia also hit out at the BJP, saying the three landfill sites -- Ghazipur, Okhla and Bhalswa -- at city borders are the “biggest achievement” of the party’s 17-year rule in the Delhi civic body.