AAP holds protest near landfill site to highlight BJP’s garbage mismanagement

The protest was held while the Union home minister Amit Shah was slated to commission the city’s fourth waste-to-energy plant near Tughlaqabad

Ruling Aam Admi Party (AAP) lawmakers and workers held a protest near north Delhi’s Bhalswa landfill site on Thursday to highlight the garbage mismanagement while the Union home minister Amit Shah was slated to commission the city’s fourth waste-to-energy plant near Tughlaqabad.

AAP held the protest near north Delhi’s Bhalswa landfill site. (Twitter)

Lawmaker Durgesh Pathak said they chose the occasion to protest against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-controlled Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD). He said BJP’s corruption has resulted in three garbage mountains in Delhi. “Inaugurating a waste management plant right before [municipal] elections will not serve any purpose except for gaining political mileage. We will not allow the BJP to create 16 more garbage mountains in Delhi.”

Pathak asked Shah to visit Bhalswa and see the problems it has caused for the residents living near the garbage mountain.

Another AAP lawmaker Dilip Pandey wondered whether Shah even knows that these residents were even finding it difficult to even breathe. He said Shah should realise that his party has only committed scams in the name of solid waste management for 17 years.

“Waste management plant is merely an election gimmick...if they actually care about the people, they should come here to hold a dialogue with us and find a solution,” Pandey said.

AAP functionary Adil Ahmed Khan said the party workers gathered at the Bhalswa landfill as they wanted to show Shah how troubled the people of Delhi were because of three garbage mountains the BJP has created. “BJP has turned Delhi into a pile of garbage.”

In his address before commissioning the plant, Shah said some were arguing that it was being inaugurated because of municipal elections. “This is not the foundation laying...a plant can be inaugurated only if significant work has taken place over one to two years. We will also add a bio-CNG plant in Okhla, and three biogas plants in Goyla, Nangli, and Ghogha. Eight material recovery facilities are also coming up.”

Shah promised to work to make a garbage-free Delhi and added the plan for it has been formulated even before the BJP wins the elections. He said the promised projects will be completed over the next three years.

Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal referred to timelines and said Shah was asking for another three years to carry out the work, which has not been undertaken during the last 15 years of BJP’s control over MCD. “Why should people trust you? You will not be able to do it. Now we will show how Delhi can be made garbage-free,” Kejriwal tweeted.

Deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia said the BJP has wasted Delhi’s 17 years and now the party wants to waste another three. “First, they gave three garbage mountains to Delhi, and now just before elections they have come up with a new false promise.” He said people will not wait anymore and AAP will win the MCD polls.