Residents from across Chittaranjan Park (CR Park) held a protest march on Saturday, demanding the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to remove dhalaos from their locality and construct fixed transport systems instead.
Residents participating in the march alleged that despite constantly sending complaints to the MCD, no action had been taken.
The march, held from the Kali Bari Mandir to the Shayma Prasad Mukherjee school, was organised by a group of resident welfare associations (RWAs) from across the locality. Residents claimed that CR Park had six dhalaos, which were posing serious threats to public health. One of the dhalaos is located in front of the school, posing health concerns for children.
During a spot check by HT on Saturday, garbage could be seen spilling out of the dhalao, located in front of the school, onto the road.
“I have been trying to get this dhalao removed for the last 20 years. Not only do children have to cross it to enter the school, but they cannot play in the park either due to the smell, nor can the elderly walk here. I went to the MCD with pictures of the dhalao three months ago, but no action has been taken yet,” said CR park B Block RWA secretary Meena Roy.
Other residents said that the dhalao blocked access to their blocks. “In F Block, the dhalao is present on our main entry road, causing hygiene problems and traffic congestion simultaneously. When trucks come to collect garbage, the road gets blocked. Modern technologies such as FCTS (fixed compactor transfer station) exists, and should be used here. The sites for the same should be chosen in collaboration with the RWAs,” said Minati Roy, CR park F block RWA general secretary.
{{/usCountry}}Other residents said that the dhalao blocked access to their blocks. “In F Block, the dhalao is present on our main entry road, causing hygiene problems and traffic congestion simultaneously. When trucks come to collect garbage, the road gets blocked. Modern technologies such as FCTS (fixed compactor transfer station) exists, and should be used here. The sites for the same should be chosen in collaboration with the RWAs,” said Minati Roy, CR park F block RWA general secretary.
{{/usCountry}}She added that workers were not being given proper equipment to clean the dhalaos as well.
HT reached out to MCD officials for a comment on the matter, but no response was received by the time of going to print.
Residents further alleged that the MCD were not following orders from the Supreme Court and the National Green Tribunal (NGT) to remove dhalaos. “For four years, our association has struggled to ensure that the G Block dhalao, located inside a park, is regularly cleaned. Despite representations to MCD and an NGT order dated May 1, 2025, directing the MCD commissioner to ensure regular cleaning, compliance remains a fiction. This is a direct violation of Article 21 of the Constitution. The Supreme Court has repeatedly affirmed that the right to a clean environment is a fundamental right, and civic authorities cannot deny citizens this right citing resource constraints,” said Ashok Chakrabarti, secretary, G Block RWA.
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