HC pulls up civic bodies for failure to keep Delhi clean

The Delhi High Court Wednesday pulled up civic agencies for their failure to keep the national capital clean and wondered how Delhi would become a "world class city" when it's "not even an Asia class city".

A division bench of justices B.D. Ahmed and Sanjeev Sachdeva said: "How would Delhi become a world class city? It's not even an Asia class city."

The bench further observed that "on paper India is the best country", however, in reality "it's entirely different thing".

It pulled up deputy commissioners of Municipal Corporation of Delhi present in the court.

"It's a very important matter. But these people are not doing their job. Either they (deputy commissioners) are not doing their job or people under them are not doing their job or their bosses not doing or all of them not doing their job," the bench said.

The bench remarked: "What are the councillors doing? They are elected persons. Salaried persons not doing anything, elected persons not doing anything and it's the court that has to do everything here."

Slamming the deputy commissioners, the court asked "don't they feel pain" when they go around in their areas and see litter on the roads.

The court also added the central government, New Delhi Municipal Council, Public Works Department, Delhi Cantonment Board and Delhi Jal Board as parties in the case and issued notice to them.

The court sought their response by March 18. It also asked civic bodies to file status report on the sanitation issue in the capital.

The court was hearing a public-interest litigation filed by NGO Nyaya Bhoomi on poor state of public toilets, infrastructure and facilities in health and educational institutions in Delhi.