Cong unveils waste mgmt roadmap; blames BJP, AAP for sanitation crisis

Ananya Panda

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, March 26

Eyeing a comeback in the national capital, the Congress on Sunday proposed an “incentive-based” solid waste management plan with which it promised to make the three municipal corporations “financially self-reliant” in two years.

The Congress blamed the BJP at the Centre and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in the city for the sanitation crisis while exhorting people to opt for it ahead of the civic polls slated for April 23.

Top guns of the party, including MPs Jairam Ramesh and PC Chacko; besides AICC secretary Kuljit Nagra; DPCC chief Ajay Maken and Sharmistha Mukherjee, were on one platform to unveil the party’s draft roadmap for solid waste management.

This came exactly a day after Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s sop of abolishing house tax and waiving off arrears on the same. 

Giving details of Congress’ plan, Maken took a dig at the Kejriwal and the BJP saying, “We are giving realistic solutions which are doable. They are neither wild nor tall promises and are not vote-bank politics.”

Maken termed Kejriwal’s announcement to scrap residential house tax “hilarious” while pointing out that 70 per cent of Delhi population is not covered under house tax.

With focus on environment, the Congress proposed a zero landfill policy, distribution of free blue and green bins to households for waste segregation and promotion of tree plantation as part of its clean and green Delhi agenda for the municipal polls.

For residential areas the Congress proposes to introduce a unique “score card” system on the basis of an independent agency’s assessment to decide on tax rebate or incentives after mapping each ward to four sub zones while incentives and tax rebates will be offered to group housing societies, hospitals and malls for proper waste management.

Maken slammed the BJP and the AAP for sanitation workers’ repeated strikes and garbage woes in Delhi claiming it was for the first time they had to go on protest five times as their salaries were held up over the last two years.

Ramesh was critical about Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the credit of three states— Sikkim, Kerala and Himachal Pradesh— becoming open defecation free, saying it was due to the “Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan” initiated by the Congress-led UPA Government in 2011 rather than what was being claimed.

“Still sixty per cent of women are defecating in open... I was criticised for my toilets first and temples later remark but the same was affirmed by the then the PM candidate... The Swachh Bharat Abhiyan is an extension of the same Nirmal Bharat Abhiyaan,” Ramesh said while slamming the Kejriwal government and the BJP-led Centre over unutilised funds earmarked for prevention of dengue and chikungunya.

Ramesh also recalled days of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s emphasis on tree plantation before he exhorted residents of the capital to shun broom and lotus and vote for the hand, party’s symbol, in next month’s MCD elections.