The Hindu       09.10.2014        

Garbage collection goes up by 20 per cent after October 2

Snapshots of politicians and officers posing with brooms after October 2 appears to be paying off, with garbage collection by the municipal corporations going up by about 20 per cent in the past week.

Swachh Bharat Mission

With the launch of the Union Government’s Swachh Bharat Mission on October 2, the three Bharatiya Janata Party-led corporations have ramped up their routine trash-lifting work.

According to officials, the North Delhi Municipal Corporation’s average daily garbage collection has gone up from 2,800 metric tonnes to 3,500 MT; the South Delhi Municipal Corporation’s from 2,700 MT to 3,500 MT; and the East Delhi Municipal Corporation’s from 2,000 MT to 2,700 MT.

Increased monitoring

North Corporation Commissioner Pravin Kumar Gupta said on Tuesday that the cleanliness drive had increased monitoring of sanitation work, leading to better results.

“Senior officers have all been out in the field to check cleanliness. This has led to a pressure on workers to perform,” said the North Corporation Commissioner.

Officials said Zonal Deputy Commissioners had been empowered to hire additional manpower to make sure sweeping and garbage collection are carried out across the city.

Apart from garbage, the collection of silt from drains and construction debris has also increased in the past week.

SDMC spokesperson Mukesh Yadav said: “Empty plots and abandoned areas are being cleared of malba and the silt from drains is also being removed.”

In the South civic body’s four zones, the total solid waste (garbage, silt and malba) collection has gone up from 12,000 MT to 16,000 MT.