Danish envoy’s garbage video makes NDMC take action to remove it

Anshita Mehra

New Delhi, May 8

Hours after Denmark’s Ambassador to India, HE Freddy Svane, took to social media to highlight garbage dump near the Danish embassy building in New Delhi, the New Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) sprung into action and cleaned up the area.

Earthmovers and sanitation workers were seen removing the heaps of garbage from a service road between the Danish and the Greek embassies.

Earlier, the envoy had posed the video on X that showed him standing on a road amidst heaps of trash. He shared the video with the caption: “Lovely and green New Delhi. Many words but no action. Saddened by this.” He urged the authorities to take concrete steps to address the pressing issue, tagging official accounts, including the Royal Danish Embassy in India, Chief Minister Office Delhi and L-G Delhi office.

Describing the scene, Svane remarked, “Welcome to great, green and trashy New Delhi”, highlighting the juxtaposition of the embassy buildings surrounded by garbage-strewn lanes.

The NDMC’s timely response was praised as a commendable effort in addressing urgent waste management concerns in the city. Svane expressed gratitude for the swift action, stating, “This is about pointing out an issue, not complaining. I am proud that NDMC took action within a few minutes.”

He said, “This is the service lane here, and a few hours ago I shared a video to highlight the potential mess. But it takes human action, and the heroes from NDMC responded to the call to prevent such a beautiful lane from being filled with trash. They took action. Dhanyawad. I have lived here for 11 years. We love India…”

This incident underscores the significance of public awareness and collaboration in addressing environmental challenges.