Authorities in Delhi do not have "will" to clear garbage: SC

The authorities in Delhi lack the "will" to clear the garbage and solid waste in the national capital, the Supreme Court said today, observing that steps to deal with the issue were perhaps impossible to implement.

A bench of Justices Madan B Lokur and Deepak Gupta said that despite the measures taken and proposed by the authorities, nothing has happened on the ground and Delhi was facing a grave situation of "mountains of garbage".

Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Pinky Anand, who appeared for the LG office and Delhi government, said that IIT Delhi has conducted a study on the Ghazipur landfill site and a report has also been prepared.

When the bench referred to the death of a man when the garbage mound had caved in at Ghazipur landfill site, the ASG said "that is why there is an emergency situation. We are all concerned. It has to be done in some manner. It will not happen overnight, but things are happening. Waste to energy plants will also be set up".

The bench asked the ASG by when the garbage lying at the landfill sites in Ghazipur, Okhla and Bhalswa would be cleared.

Referring to the affidavits filed by LG office and Delhi government, it also said the suggested measures like school awareness programme or audio-visual radio jingles on this issue were "impossible to implement".

"People have died in Delhi while cleaning sewers. There is no will. People of Delhi will rise to the occasion but no one will implement all this," the bench said, adding "there has to be a change at the ground level. Since 2015, there has been no change at the ground level."