Ab Dilli Hogi Saaf: MCD launches year-long sanitation drive

Officials said that 3,000 teams were formed under the campaign, with each team tasked to monitor over 50 lanes.

New Delhi The Municipal Corporation of Delhi on Saturday launched a year-long mega cleanliness campaign, ‘Ab Delhi Hogi Saaf’, in all its 250 wards across the city, with an aim to make the Capital garbage-free within a year, officials said.

MCD mayor Shelly Oberoi with other MCD officials at the launch of mega cleanliness drive on Saturday (HT photo)

Officials said that 3,000 teams were formed under the campaign, with each team tasked to monitor over 50 lanes. The teams will inspect the allotted lanes in the morning and file complaints immediately if they find garbage on the streets.

The teams will then click photos of such spots or areas, which will be uploaded on the civic body’s application, MCD 311, so that the issue is resolved immediately, said MCD in-charge and AAP MLA Durgesh Pathak.

Delhi mayor Shelly Oberoi said that the drive is a concerted effort by all AAP councillors, legislators, and MCD sanitation workers. Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal in a tweet also congratulated MCD for the effort.

“We have one goal—clean Delhi. It is the national capital and it must be clean. The MCD mayor, deputy mayor, leader of the house and myself will go to monitor 2-3 wards every day. We will monitor every lane, ward and constituency and we will make sure that there is no pile of rubble in Delhi”, said Pathak at a press conference.

On Saturday, inspections were carried out at Sadar Bazaar, Chandni Mahal and Sitaram Bazaar.

“We have 134 AAP councillors in MCD who will be participating in the campaign. Even in those areas where our candidates lost, they will actively participate in the movement in their wards,” MCD deputy mayor Aaley Mohammad Iqbal said.

The Delhi Jal Board (DJB) is also a part of the campaign, as it initiated a special drive to make its properties, tubewells and road repair works dirt-free.

After the campaign launch, sanitation workers, inspectors and other staff also lauded the efforts of the government, and said that their usually-delayed salaries now come in time.

“For the past two to three months, our salaries have been consistently coming on the 1st of each month. This has greatly improved our lives, and we no longer have to face any financial difficulties. The government is taking care of us. We will continue to focus on making Delhi clean,” said Daulat, a sanitation worker from ward-68, Model Town.

CM Kejriwal hoped that campaign will help make the city clean. “Many congratulations and best wishes on starting the mega cleanliness campaign by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi - Now Delhi will be clean. I sincerely hope that this campaign will be successful and our Delhi will become clean,” he said in a tweet in Hindi.

Meanwhile, Delhi Jal Board vice-chairman Somnath Bharti directed officials concerned to collect details of the old properties and assets of DJB and sought the list of tubewells and status report of road repair works. Based on the list and the status report, a special drive will be launched by Delhi Jal Board to clean all its assets and properties, officials said.

Bharti directed the additional chief engineers (ACEs) of all zones to ensure that a special drive should be launched in all the 70 assembly constituencies of Delhi to make DJB offices and buildings litter-free spaces.