Rs 610 crore push to power civic body’s clean-up drive
New Delhi: The Delhi government has sanctioned a Rs 610.27 crore project for the MCD to roll out mechanised sweeping, enhance construction waste management, and introduce battery-operated litter pickers.
Under the plan, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) will modernise 106 primary construction and demolition (C&D) waste collection centres with barricading, CCTV surveillance, water sprinklers, air quality sensors and information boards to minimise dust emissions, an official said.
Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said that the Environment Department approved the project on Monday under the leadership of Chief Minister Rekha Gupta in a move to tackle dust pollution and improve sanitation across the national capital.
The minister said the administrative approval covers three key projects — upgrading C&D waste collection sites, procuring mechanical road sweeping machines, and deploying battery-operated litter picker vehicles to enhance waste management efficiency in market areas and narrow lanes.
According to the official document, sixty mechanical road sweepers will be procured for all 12 MCD zones, covering around 6,000 km of roads under a 10-year “service outsourcing” model.
The machines, powered by either CNG or electricity, depending on availability, will operate in eight-hour shifts to ensure regular cleaning of major stretches, the official communication stated.
Additionally, battery-operated litter pickers worth Rs 86.82 crore will be introduced under an eight-year service
model to improve cleanliness in crowded market lanes and public spaces.
The overall funding for the project will be spread over ten years, with the first year allocating Rs 42.28 crore for road sweepers, Rs 8.72 crore for litter pickers, and Rs 7.10 crore for C&D site improvements.
Sirsa said the project comes at a crucial time as Delhi’s air quality continues to deteriorate with the onset of winter.
The approval follows the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) invoking the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) Stage I and II in the national capital.
He said that the MCD has been directed to ensure the use of clean-fuel or electric vehicles, transparent tendering, and geo-tagging of all machines with photographic evidence. The government has also instructed that public awareness messages on pollution control be displayed on these vehicles.
Meanwhile, the national capital has been grappling with toxic air since the beginning of the month.
On Tuesday, Delhi recorded its first ‘severe’ air quality day of the season with an AQI of 428 at 4 pm, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). A similar ‘severe’ category reading was reported on Wednesday as well.
