Delhi CM targets to flatten landfills in 2026

The CM said the new government was entrusted with taking up heavy responsibilities and it has delivered on multiple fronts, despite attempts from the opposition to divert issues

New Delhi

Waste accumulation at Bhalswa in early 2025. (HT Archive)

Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta on Wednesday said that the government is targeting to completely flatten Delhi’s landfill sites by the end of 2026, which will align with its “Vision 2047”. She also highlighted the new initiatives delivered to the Capital, terming them just a precursor to the plan for 2026.

In a video message, the CM said the new government was entrusted with taking up heavy responsibilities and it has delivered on multiple fronts, despite attempts from the opposition to divert issues.

“A new education bill was introduced in Delhi so that parents do not have to bear the burden of exorbitant fees. Free medical treatment of up to ₹10 lakh was made available to the people through Ayushman Bharat. Atal Canteens, providing a wholesome meal for just ₹5, were launched and have been warmly welcomed by poor workers, my brothers and sisters...” she said.

“Some people tried to keep matters entangled between AQI and AIQ, but despite this, the government moved ahead and delivered many initiatives that Delhi had been waiting for a long time...” she said.

Delhi generates around 11,332 tonnes of waste daily (TPD) with 11,000 tonnes coming from MCD areas, 256 TPD from the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) areas, and 72 TPD from Cantonment. Around 4,000 tonnes of unprocessed waste end up in the oversaturated landfill sites. Overall, Delhi has a 27.5% gap in waste generation and processing. Delhi’s three landfill sites, at Okhla, Ghazipur and Bhalswa, currently hold around 13.5 million tonnes of waste.

Gupta said several schemes were approved to accelerate infrastructure development in Delhi, with significant progress also made in improving ease of doing business. “From an environmental perspective, if I were to highlight what people noticed most this year, it would be the beginning of end-to-end carpeting of roads. New machinery was introduced to enable better cleaning. We put a stop to stubble burning and open burning in Delhi and initiated many measures that are better for the environment. These are only beginnings; there is still much more to be done,” Gupta said, highlighting the launch of Delhi’s first biogas plant in 2025.

Further, she said the government was in the process of setting up Delhi’s first e-waste plant.

“We must eliminate Delhi’s garbage mountains and work more effectively on this issue. To those who created these garbage mountains and now speak about their removal, I wish to respond clearly: in 2026, Delhi’s garbage mountains will be eliminated,” she said.

Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) Delhi chief Saurabh Bharadwaj shared a video of his own in response, calling on the government to propose a New Year’s resolution for 2026 and to deliver the same.

“No one tangled you....rather, you got yourself tangled. Your government manipulated AQI data and also created a fake ‘Yamuna’ during Chhath puja (this year), which we exposed. In 2026, take a resolution to work with honesty..” he said.

Bharadwaj challenged the chief minister to name even one private school that was forced to roll back fees under the education bill. He also disputed the government’s claim of end-to-end road carpeting, saying large parts of Delhi remained dug up. Referring to Ayushman Bharat, he asked the CM to share data on surgeries conducted at private hospitals, and claimed that during a spot check, AAP could not locate four of the 45 Atal canteens the government said it had launched on December 25. Bharadwaj also reminded Gupta of the government’s promise of ₹2,500 to women and free LPG cylinders for households on Holi and Diwali.