Civic bodies promise a clean city for festivals

With festivals such as Navratras and Diwali around the corner, the municipal corporations of the city have declared that Delhi will become “dust and garbage-free” by the month end.

With festivals such as Navratras and Diwali around the corner, the municipal corporations of the city have declared that Delhi will become “dust and garbage-free” by the month end.

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Even though the civic bodies struggle to clean the city in the morning, the North and South municipal corporations have announced that they will start night cleaning in markets under their jurisdiction.

Illegal hoardings and banners that have defaced the city walls will also be removed. Since Navratras are starting from Tuesday, only banners and posters of religious functions will be allowed to be put up. Both the corporations have ordered their staff to pull up their socks and coordinate with each other to ensure the city remains clean during the festive season.

North Delhi mayor Mira Aggarwal and South Delhi leader of House Subhash Arya on Monday announced that the two corporations are separately launching a “special sanitation drive” from Tuesday.

As part of the drive, markets with tiny lanes that can’t be cleaned during the day will be cleaned at night. The North corporation will continue the drive for 15 days while the South body will conduct the drive for a whole month.

“Officials and the sanitation staff have been directed to ensure that accumulated refuge and road-side silt from market areas, commercial/office complexes, residential colonies, religious places are disposed of at landfill sites,” said Aggarwal.

The leaders said the entry/exit points of the city such as the inter-state bus terminus, airport, markets, religious places and major road junctions will be “revamped”.

Arya said he has directed officers of the horticulture department to ensure that all public parks are cleaned of unwanted grass and garbage. Streetlights will also be fixed. The masonry structures/grilles in parks and gardens will be repaired, washed and repainted.

The health department has been asked to ensure that toilets of major hospitals and colony hospitals/dispensaries are washed every day.

In East Delhi Corporation, a three-week sanitation drive will begin on October 22. Based on the work put in by its sanitation workers, it has been decided to award employees under the categories of the cleanest ward, most beautiful park, most well-managed ward and the best zone.

Model ward scheme starts

New Delhi: The North and South Delhi municipal corporations on Monday announced the launch of ‘model ward’ scheme under which one or two wards from each zone will be selected every month and special attention will be given to schools, garbage dump yards, dispensary, signage, roads and other civic services. All the departments have been involved in this scheme. The North civic body will hold lotteries to pick eight wards each month for development purposes. HTC