As burnt firecrackers and papers dotted streets in the Capital, Delhiites woke up to tonnes of garbage on roads a day after Diwali celebrations. While the garbage from fireworks has already been proven dangerous for people if not cleared immediately, the three Corporations, tasked with clearing other roads, didn’t carry out the assigned task.
Sweeping and cleaning of streets/roads and open spaces halted since Wednesday morning in almost all parts but the garbage would only be picked up over the weekend as majority of staff are unwilling to join duty. Delhi’s Municipal Corporations have a total of 70,000 sanitation workers which ensure sweeping and cleaning of roads/streets and other places too.
Cleaning by the South Delhi Municipal Corporation too went slow as about a quarter of the sanitation staff was on leave. “The staff strength was about 60 per cent on Thursday. By Thursday evening, all the garbage should be transported to the landfills,” said SDMC official.
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. Ministry of Urban Development, too, had asked agencies to carry special drive between midnight and morning but was in vain as no such drive was conducted any of the agency in the city.
“We have asked staff to clear mess but work will speed-up they will join duty. We have report that several areas were cleaned and garbage were picked,” said YS Maan, Director (P&I) of both North and East MCDs.