Delhi high court raps MCDs, says people can’t be made to suffer from malaria, dengue

The court was hearing two pleas accusing the city government and the MCDs of not acting vigilantly and responsibly to control dengue and chikungunya outbreaks.

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday pulled up the three municipal corporations, saying because of their “lack of will to work”, people of Delhi cannot be made to suffer from malaria, dengue and chikungunya.

Garbage piled up on the roadside at Karkardooma in New Delhi on June. (Ravi Choudhary/HT PHOTO)

The court told the civic agencies that they need to streamline the duties of safai karamcharis to ensure regular removal of garbage from the city roads.

A bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar suggested installing of biometric attendance system and use of instant messaging application like WhatsApp to ensure the presence of safai karamcharis for cleanliness in the area they are entrusted with.

“You regulate their working hours, there will be visible difference in Delhi today and tomorrow,” the bench said.

“Try and streamline a process through which those present at the site can send the picture of the area they have cleaned. They be also asked to put their attendance on the biometric machines, twice or thrice a day,” the bench said.

When the counsel for the corporations said that the people living in unauthorised colony threw garbage on the on roads which remained dirty some time, the bench said for such problems, the authorities should have thought before regularising the unauthorised colonies.

“You (Delhi government and MCDs) are lavishly regularising colonies. See what we have to face. Stop ruthless regularisation. Right to shelter for one cannot be inconvenience to other law-abiding citizens,” the bench said.

It also asked the Delhi government to inform it about the funds they have been paying to all the three corporations here for making payment to the safai karamcharis.

The matter was then listed for hearing tomorrow.

The court was hearing two pleas accusing the city government and the MCDs of not acting vigilantly and responsibly to control dengue and chikungunya outbreaks.