Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta recently announced her commitment to eradicating the notorious garbage mountain at the Okhla landfill site. During her visit on October 3, 2026, she stated that she has taken her “last selfie” with the mountain, signalling a turning point in waste management for the capital city. The Chief Minister inspected ongoing waste disposal operations, reaffirming the government’s dedication to clearing these waste sites.

According to CM Gupta, the Delhi government has successfully cleared a total of 100 acres across the city’s three landfill sites over the past 1.5 years. She highlighted that a significant portion of this land has been transformed into green areas. “In just 1.5 years, we have cleared 100 acres of land across our three landfill sites,” Gupta noted, adding that most of the waste generated prior to January 2025 has already been processed.

She elaborated on the current situation at the Okhla site, explaining that the waste presently there consists primarily of fresh refuse generated after January 2025. Gupta assured that efforts are being made round the clock to process this waste. “We are addressing two fronts: eliminating existing waste and processing 3,000 to 4,000 metric tonnes of fresh waste arriving daily,” she said.

New Infrastructure for Waste Processing

During her visit to the Okhla landfill, Chief Minister Gupta laid the foundation stone for several new facilities to enhance waste processing across the city. These include fresh waste processing plants at Okhla, Ghazipur, and Singhola, in addition to a biogas facility at Ghazipur. The Chief Minister also inaugurated the Municipal and Cleaning Works (M&CW) Centre at Kotla Mubarakpur virtually from the Okhla site.

Gupta reviewed the progress of the waste disposal work with city officials and urged them to expedite the timeline for the ongoing projects. She expressed optimism about the developments, stating, “Today I have taken my last selfie with the garbage mountain; I pledge that this mountain will come to an end soon.” Her comments also included remarks directed towards the Opposition, claiming they had previously mocked her commitment to resolving the garbage issue.

The Chief Minister remarked on the inconvenience caused to residents due to the waste mountains in Bhalswa, Ghazipur, and Okhla. She emphasised that the state government is persistently working to alleviate this issue, stating, “When the media asks about the garbage mountain, we show that the mountain is shrinking.”

Comprehensive Approach to Pollution Control

In addition to waste management, CM Gupta highlighted the government’s comprehensive approach to tackling pollution in Delhi. She stated that the government is addressing pollution from multiple angles to gradually improve air quality. This includes managing waste, cleaning the Yamuna River, and upgrading road infrastructure.

“Our resolve and policies are absolutely clear,” Gupta affirmed. “We are working 24×7 in public interest to ensure residents enjoy improved air quality.” She discussed the costs and processing capabilities of the newly planned facilities: the Okhla plant will cost Rs 103 crore with a processing capacity of 1,400 metric tonnes per day, the Singhola facility will require Rs 42 crore for 800 metric tonnes daily, and the Ghazipur facility will manage 700 metric tonnes of waste each day.

With the addition of these new infrastructures, Gupta assured the public that daily waste management would become more efficient. Additionally, special centres have been established for recycling broken idols to prevent them from being disposed of in rivers or combined with general waste, demonstrating an earnest effort towards sustainability.

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