CM Rekha Gupta flags off 20-day blitz to clean up Delhi’s streets

Rekha Gupta said officers across civic and administrative agencies have been assigned specific zones

Chief minister Rekha Gupta on Thursday launched an intensive 20-day citywide cleanliness drive, declaring that Delhi will witness a “visible transformation” beginning Friday, with officers held personally accountable for cleaning every street, park, footpath, and public space.

Chief minister Rekha Gupta meets workers at a construction site at New Rohtak Road on World Labour Day in New Delhi on Thursday. (Vipin Kumar/HT Photo)

Unveiling the campaign, Gupta said officers across civic and administrative agencies — from district magistrates to deputy commissioners and police officials — have been assigned specific zones. They will be responsible for daily on-site inspections, and any lapses in cleanliness, safety, or encroachment will attract direct accountability.

“Beginning tomorrow, a citywide, comprehensive sanitation campaign will be rolled out systematically and intensively. Any lapse in cleanliness, safety, or unauthorised encroachment will lead to direct accountability of the concerned officer. Street lights and CCTV cameras will be activated in all areas, and the full administrative machinery will work in unison to give Delhiites a cleaner and safer city within 20 days,” said Rekha Gupta.

“Streetlights and CCTV cameras will be activated across areas. The full administrative machinery will work in unison to deliver a cleaner, safer Delhi in 20 days,” she said.

The move comes days after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) secured the mayoral post, giving it control over all three key layers of power in the Capital — the Centre via the LG, the Delhi government, and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD).

Gupta said the BJP’s “triple-engine” government would break years of stagnation and deliver rapid change. “We will realise Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s dream of a Swachh Bharat by transforming Delhi into a clean, green, and aesthetically pleasing city,” she said.

Delhi’s notoriously complex administrative structure — involving overlapping jurisdictions between civic, state, and central bodies — has often led to inefficiencies. Under the previous regime, with AAP in charge of the Delhi government and the BJP at the Centre and MCD, routine civic tasks often became points of political contention. The BJP now hopes that unified control will lead to smoother coordination and faster delivery of public services.

Gupta has directed all officials to step out of their air-conditioned offices and conduct daily field inspections, submitting reports to their department heads and the Chief Minister’s Office. “No department can deflect responsibility now. Joint accountability has been formally established,” she said.

The campaign will target dust, garbage piles, and encroachments in public places. Each deputy commissioner has been asked to adopt one locality in their jurisdiction as a “model area” — showcasing ideal cleanliness, greenery, encroachment-free footpaths, and civic engagement. Senior municipal officials have been instructed to personally supervise sanitation operations.

Illegal dumping and littering will face a zero-tolerance policy. Public toilets, drains, and sewers have been prioritised for cleaning. MCD and PWD have been directed to ensure the timely desilting of drains to prevent waterlogging. Overgrown trees and branches will be pruned following standard procedures issued by the Forest Department.

The government has also issued instructions to eliminate single-use plastic from markets, religious institutions, schools, wedding venues, and other public places. Covered garbage trucks will operate on fixed schedules to prevent spillage, and daily waste collection will be enforced across neighbourhoods. Road medians and central verges will be landscaped to reduce dust and enhance the city’s visual appeal.

To eliminate dumping grounds, the city will adopt street-level segregated waste collection. Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs) will be roped in to support door-to-door waste segregation and collection. “Mass plantation drives will be launched to clean and beautify dusty zones. City walls will be whitewashed and artistically painted to enhance the city’s visual charm,” Gupta said.

MCD, she added, will not face any shortage of funds for the campaign, with the government assuring full financial and logistical support to ensure swift and sustained implementation.