After a four-hour meeting of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) standing committee on Wednesday, one of the key proposals that got approval was a new policy to use underutilised NCT community halls for vocational training and skill development. The discussion was dominated by the issue of the garbage crisis in several parts of the city like Gurgaon. Other than this, the panel cleared at least 16 policy proposals and took up the long-pending audit reports that were delayed due to the non-formation of the committee for over 2.5 years.

The mounting waste at open drums and collection points in the central and western zones of Delhi NCR was the centre of the discussion. Rajpal Singh, the councillor of Srinivas Puri, flagged problems in areas like Maharani Bagh, Garhi, and New Friends Colony. “A former chief justice has sent videos of waste scenes from his morning walks. People are protesting at our houses. The new company is unable to collect waste and the whole area is suffering,” said Singh.

According to the MCD, the disruption in garbage disposal is mainly due to the expiry of long-term waste management contracts and the lack of sufficient machinery and bins with the interim concessionaire appointed. After all the new changes are set in motion, any visible improvement can only be recorded by next month. According to councillor Sharma, private concessionaires showing negligence must face penalties under contractual provisions.

Verbal Dispute

The standing committee of the MCD was chaired by Satya Sharma. “MCD has a total of 278 community halls out of which 122 are either vacant or underutilised. These halls will now be used between 3 PM and 8 PM for imparting employment-oriented training to local youth and women,” said Sharma.

The committee also discussed the shortcomings of mechanical road sweepers (MRS), with several members alleging that these expensive units are lying idle and their live location should be shared publicly to get them utilised.

The meeting also saw a verbal dispute after Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) member accused a Deputy Commissioner, Gyanesh Bharti, of corruption. “MCD has a long tradition of theft, extortion and blackmailing, and excuses are used that money has to be paid to higher-ups… Officers should not become tools in the hands of blackmailers. We will not tolerate this kind of blackmailing. Delhi Police and CBI are there for investigation. Is this how we conduct meetings? Nothing has been discussed on the agenda and this blackmailing is being…”