Delhi's trash troubles mount as fresh dumping site sparks row

Despite tall claims of legacy waste clearance and landfill reduction, Delhi’s residents continue to battle garbage at their doorsteps. From Sangam Vihar in the south to Civil Lines in the north, the Capital is grappling with waste that is not just piling up, but also spreading into everyday life.

The most recent flashpoint emerged near Majlis Park metro station, where a fresh garbage heap has become a major concern for locals. On Saturday, Leader of Opposition in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), Ankush Narang, visited the site and alleged that the area had effectively become a new dumping ground. “This is no different from a landfill. The stench here makes life unbearable for residents and yet no action is being taken,” he said.

Speaking to The Tribune, Mayor Raja Iqbal Singh, said, “There is no such thing as a fourth landfill site at Majlis Park. Some people have put silt there, which AAP is wrongly projecting as a new landfill. It is wrong to put silt in a public place, and we condemn that but had the opposition informed us, we would have cleared it immediately. This is a classic case of ‘baat ka batangad’.”

An on-ground inspection revealed that waste collected from the area was in fact being transported to Bawana, not dumped permanently at the Majlis Park site.

Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa had earlier said that over 56 lakh MT of waste had been processed at Ghazipur under the renewed solid waste management strategy.

According to official data, over 4 million tonnes of waste remain at the Bhalswa landfill site. Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa noted that the site, once a 70-acre mountain of garbage, has seen progress, with 25 acres reclaimed so far.

In an interview with Tribune, last year, Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena also underscored the efforts made over the past 18 months, stating that the number of trommeling machines deployed had increased from 12 to 85.

However, despite these claims of progress, on-ground challenges of garbage woes continue to plague the Capital. In South Delhi’s Sangam Vihar, residents say that no MCD garbage pickup truck has shown up in over 20 days. With no other option, locals are now dumping household waste on their own, leading to growing heaps and unbearable stench.

Mayor Raja Iqbal Singh attributed the delay to a transition between private concessionaire agencies handling garbage pickup. “One agency is leaving and another is yet to fully take over. The trucks are not all here yet, but the issue will be resolved within a week,” he said.

Meanwhile, across various neighbourhoods like Shaheen Bagh, garbage continues to pile up at dumping corners. Narrow lanes lined with eateries reek, not from food, but from the waste strewn just a few steps away.