Blame game erupts in Delhi as two die in landfill collapse

A political blame game erupted in Delhi on Friday following the death of two persons, including a woman, in the collapse of a large portion of a landfill in east Delhi's Ghazipur earlier in the day.

Towards evening, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his deputy Manish Sisodia reached the accident site and blamed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled municipal corporation for the accident.

"The DPCC (Delhi Pollution Control Committee) had earlier sent many notices to the MCD (Municipal Corporation of Delhi) about the landfill," Kejriwal said.

He said the height of the landfill was more than the permissible limit and added that he would meet Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal and they would together put pressure on the MCD.

"Visited Ghazipur site. It's man-made disaster. Criminal. Mountains of garbage. Why doesn't MCD use modern technology to manage solid waste?" Kejriwal said in a tweet.

Sisodia also echoed Kejriwal's views, saying the East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) was responsible for the tragedy.

EDMC Mayor Neema Bhagat of the BJP, on the other hand, blamed the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-ruled Delhi government for what she called "poor maintenance" of the landfill spread over 70 acres.

Joining the blame game, Delhi Congress chief Ajay Maken held the AAP government and the BJP-ruled MCDs responsible for the accident and demanded adequate compensation for the victims.

"Governance in Delhi has come to a standstill due to the constant bickering of AAP and BJP," he added.

"This is not just an accident, nor merely a mismanagement by MCD. It's a result of disastrous model of solid waste management," Yogendra Yadav, National President of Swaraj India, said.

--IANS

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