Delhi CM Rekha Gupta inaugurates waste compactor station in Sarita Vihar, flags off sanitation vehicles

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Saturday inaugurated a fixed compactor transfer station in Sarita Vihar and flagged off vehicles for door-to-door waste collection and transportation. Thirty-five women drivers have been appointed to operate the vehicles.

Ms. Gupta also flagged off 50 litter-picker machines as part of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi’s (MCD) plan to deploy 1,000 such machines to collect waste from the streets.

Describing sanitation and waste management as among Delhi’s biggest challenges, Ms. Gupta said the government is providing the MCD with modern machinery and resources. It is also working on a long-term plan to address the Capital’s waste management needs over the next 15 to 30 years, she added.

Ms. Gupta said that earlier, only 6,000 to 7,000 tonnes of the nearly 15,000 tonnes of waste generated daily could be processed.

“As a result, the city’s garbage mountains continued to grow. To address this situation, work was under way to set up new waste-to-energy plants, increase the capacity of existing plants, establish e-waste centres and install biogas plants to manage cow dung,” she said.

The government is also focusing on improving sanitation infrastructure and making additional staff available, she added.