Capital wakes up to dirty streets as sanitation workers take off

Delhiites woke up to tonnes of garbage a day after Diwali as burnt firecrackers, empty cardboard boxes and papers were strewn on roads and streets of the Capital. While the litter has been proven dangerous if not cleared immediately, the three Corporations, responsible for clearing roads, could not carry out the task as Thursday was a Restricted Holiday (RH).

Cleanliness works took place on a few selected patches as majority of the safai karmacharis (sanitation worker) were on leave. “We have asked the staff to clear the mess but work will catch up speed after all of them join duty. We have reported that several areas were cleaned and garbage was picked,” said YS Maan, Director (P&I) of both North and East MCDs.

Thursday, the day after Diwali, saw cleaning services going slow as many sanitation workers took advantage of the Restricted Holiday for Govardhan puja. The staff showed unwillingness to clean roads in most of the parts despite clear instructions to clean their concerned area. 

The Ministry of Urban Development, under the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, had asked agencies to carry out a special drive from midnight to morning but was in vain as no such drive was conducted by any of the agencies in the city. Sweeping and cleaning of streets/roads and open spaces halted since Wednesday morning in almost all parts and the garbage would only be picked up over the weekend as majority of staff are unwilling to join duty.

MCD officials said there was not enough sanitation staff to finish all the cleaning on Thursday. “The main roads have been swept, but the garbage will be picked up in the next two days. Our emphasis is to collect garbage from streets and households and store at dhalaos in order to ensure cleaning of residential areas,” said the official.