Issues such as lack of sanitation workers and unsatisfactory garbage disposal have been regularly raised by the councillors of Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) in the MCD House.
In an interview, Leader of the House in MCD, Mukesh Kumar Goel (AAP councillor from Adarsh Nagar), Deputy Leader of Opposition in MCD, Jai Bhagwan Yadav (BJP councillor from Begumpur), and Congress councillor Ariba Khan (elected from Abul Fazal Enclave) shed light on the current situation regarding the same.
Excerpts:
What is the status of the sanitation issue in your ward?
Mukesh Kumar Goel: There has been improvement in the sanitation-related work in the ward, from the earlier. There are no grave issues related to sanitation work in the ward.
Jai Bhagwan Yadav: In my ward, there are less number of dustbins and it needs more sanitation workers to address the cleanliness problem.
Ariba Khan: See, the population of the ward is around 1.5 lakh and the number of sanitation workers provided are not sufficient.
Are there enough sanitation workers provided for your ward?
Mukesh Kumar Goel: There has been no recruitment of sanitation workers after the retirement/death of other workers. We are working to sort out the matter.
Jai Bhagwan Yadav: Some sanitation workers have either retired or passed away. We need at least 200 more staff members. The number of sanctioned sanitation workers in the ward is 250. 30 posts are lying vacant.
Ariba Khan: There are only 80-85 sanitation workers in the ward, which is not sufficient, given the population. Moreover, some sanitation workers do not come daily or take leave.
How is garbage disposal in your ward?
Mukesh Kumar Goel: The garbage disposal vans pick up the garbage every day. There is no accumulation of garbage in the ward.
Jai Bhagwan Yadav: The garbage disposal vans are not regularly picking up garbage from my ward. They only come every third day to pick up the garbage. This has led to accumulation of garbage in the ward.
Ariba Khan: On paper, we have got nine garbage tippers to collect the waste. However, only seven are plying in the ward, which is not sufficient.
It has been alleged by some councillors that there are not enough sanitation workers in their areas. Your comments?
Mukesh Kumar Goel: The opposition is levelling incorrect charges against the AAP. It is not correct. I think the councillors are not working hard enough to keep their wards clean.
Jai Bhagwan Yadav: There are no sanitation workers in my ward’s area, Rohini Sector 24. Apart from this, overall, there is shortage of sanitation workers as I have already stated.
Ariba Khan: The ward adjacent to my ward has got over 300 sanitation workers. There has been no new recruitment of sanitation workers for my ward. Thus, it is facing serious issues.
Please make suggestions to improve the situation.
Mukesh Kumar Goel: The mayor is trying to address the issue, if there is any. There has been some problem due to delay in formation of the Standing Committee and Ward Committee; however, it will be sorted.
Jai Bhagwan Yadav: There should be two more compactors for the ward. And, the garbage pick-up van should pick up the garbage from the ward daily. There should not be any gap in picking up the garbage by the vans, as it leads to garbage accumulation.
Ariba Khan: There should be a minimum 250-300 workers for the ward. If the issue is regarding the non-collection of house tax from my area due to unauthorized colonies, then please collect the taxes. But, provide us more sanitation workers.