HC pulls up SDMC on garbage removal issue in Dwarka

The Delhi High Court today pulled up the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) for not employing scientific methods of garbage removal in Dwarka leading to spillage of waste from the dumps.
A bench of justices Badar Durrez Ahmed and Sanjeev Sachdeva said that in the past 11 months very little has happened with regard to cleanliness in the sub-city.
The court also took note of the lack of maintenance of roads and footpaths there and asked the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) that if it was not able to maintain a "new area" like Dwarka then how will it maintain older areas of the city.

The court termed as "unacceptable" the situation of garbage spilling out from 'dhalaos' (garbage dumps), after which SDMC gave the assurance that receptacles shall be placed there to avoid spillage and prevent overflow.
DDA, meanwhile, assured the court that removal of 'malba' from roads, maintenance of footpaths as well as drainage shall be attended to immediately.
The bench asked DDA to file a status report in four weeks indicating action taken till then.

The corporation also sought time to file an affidavit indicating its 'modus operandi' regarding operating of the dhalaos.
The court gave SDMC two weeks time to file its affidavit and listed the matter for further hearing on January 13.

The order and observations came during hearing of a PIL on cleanliness in Dwarka filed by law student Ebbani Aggarwal who today placed before the court pictures showing garbage spilling from 'dhalaos' as well as poor state of roads and footpaths in the sub-city.
After perusing the pictures, the court told SDMC, "You have to devise a scientific method of removing garbage from dhalaos. You cannot allow it to accumulate there and spill out."
It also said that the corporation was "manufacturing" pictures as some of the photos shown by the civic body were "cropped" so that the garbage is not seen.

It also remarked that there was so much staff employed with the corporation only for cleaning activity and yet the agency was outsourcing the work of garbage collection.
It also asked DDA how footpaths made 10 years ago in Dwarka were sinking in some places.
The court made it clear if it does not get satisfactory answers to its queries, "all this will be placed in your (MCD, DDA and PWD officials) confidential reports.