New Delhi: The Municipal Corporation of Delhi has cleared 18,495 metric tonnes of waste from railway tracks across the city, covering nearly half of the 102.9-km stretch identified for a major sanitation drive, officials said on Sunday.
According to a statement, the clean-up, carried out in coordination with railway authorities, targeted 123 locations where garbage had accumulated over time due to indiscriminate dumping, posing sanitation concerns and affecting the city’s image.
So far, around 49.74 km of railway track has been cleared, with the total waste burden initially estimated between 18,000 and 20,000 metric tonnes, the statement read.
Among the zones, Karol Bagh and Keshavpuram emerged as the top performers, each with 4,100 metric
tonnes of waste cleared, followed by the City SP Zone with around 2,703 metric tonnes cleared.
Officials said the operation involved the deployment of over 550 personnel and heavy machinery, including tippers, Hyva trucks, JCB machines, and refuse compactors.
At the Zakhira stretch in Karol Bagh, where waste removal was challenging due to a triangular convergence of railway lines, 20 railway wagons were deployed to facilitate large-scale evacuation, the statement read.
To prevent fresh dumping, 61 twin dustbins have been installed along railway corridors, along with awareness campaigns, it added.
MCD Commissioner Sanjeev Khirwar said the drive aims not only to remove legacy waste but also to ensure long-term cleanliness through better infrastructure and public participation.