Street vendors to get 10,000 garbage bins

SDMC has procured the dustbins which will be distributed among street vendors, especially those selling eatables

With a bid to improve the sanitation of the markets of south Delhi, the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) will distribute dustbins to street vendors especially those selling eatables. The project is in conjunction with the government’s Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan.

SDMC sanitation workers will clean the bins regularly. (Sushil Kumar / HT File)

The civic agency has procured 10,000 bins, and the distribution process will begin soon. The blue-coloured dustbins are made of fibre, thus are light in weight. “A sample of the dustbin has been sent to the laboratory for quality check. We will start distributing them once we get the report back,” said a senior SDMC official.

According to the plan, 100 dustbins will be distributed in each ward. There are 104 wards in the four zones of south Delhi. The licensing department has prepared a list of vendors after consulting with area councillors. The department is responsible for the distribution of bins. The bins are potable and vendors can take them home in the evenings to avoid misuse. SDMC sanitation staff will be responsible for lifting the garbage from the dustbins regularly.

In 2008, following the use of dustbins for the serial bomb blasts by terrorists in Delhi, the municipal corporation had stopped installing bins. Police had also raised security concerns while objecting to bins in crowded places. But, after the Centre launched the Swachh Bharat initiative in October 2014, the civic body framed this policy. According to senior municipal officials, the Delhi police have agreed to the dustbins being placed with the caveat that bins in densely crowded areas should be monitored regularly.