Garbage mess at Chandni Chowk eases

Workers of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) started clearing the heaps of rancid waste that had gathered around bins and along Chandni Chowk market on Tuesday, as a stand-off between civic agencies over responsibility for sanitation work in the historic section finally appeared to come to an end.
The 1.3km stretch between Fatehpuri mosque and Lal Jain temple was not, however, completely free of garbage.
MCD said on Tuesday that it has started basic garbage removal work, but is yet to figure out the modalities for other services that were being provided by a private operator to the Public Works Department (PWD).
The commercial hub may continue to face sanitation issues in the coming days.
Sanjay Bhargava, who heads Chandni Chowk Sarv Vyapar Mandal, said that MCD workers on Tuesday picked up the bulk of trash accumulated below garbage bins, but the remaining area continued to be littered. “Street sweeping has not been started yet, and the main market continues to remain littered. MCD will have to deploy additional resources for the upkeep of the market as one-time sweeping and trash bin removal won’t work with a massive influx of visitors,” he added.
A senior MCD official said that since the basic sanitation work falls under the civic body’s ambit as per the Delhi Municipal Corporation (DMC) Act, the corporation has “in principle agreed” to two things — garbage removal and sweeping — while it is figuring out modalities for the rest.
“Things will improve in the coming days. MCD is already managing the four toilet complexes in the area, but modalities are yet to be fixed about the other cleaning services that were being provided by the agency. We don’t have the smaller mechanical cleaning devices or other resources,” he added.
Over the last year, MCD and PWD have been at loggerheads over the maintenance of the redeveloped stretch – a project executed by PWD and inaugurated by Delhi government in September 2021. The then PWD minister and chairman of Shahjahanabad Redevelopment Corporation (SRDC) Satyendar Jain decided that on June 25, 2021, facility management services and sanitation for the stretch would be outsourced for better upkeep. After a series of communications, PWD refused to further extend the contract of the hired agency beyond September 7 leading to a sanitation crisis over the last three days.
An identical crisis had emerged during the festive season last year, but the agency’s contract was later renewed.
Traders estimate that around 8-10 tonnes of waste is generated in the market which has more than 700 shops on the main street with a much larger number of units in the lanes.
The private agency deployed over the last three years was also providing services like daily washing of streets, cleaning of bollards, drains, etc.
More than 200 people were deployed for housekeeping work over three shifts and with mechanical cleaning machines to wash to tarmac. Traders reported that three vehicles with 10-12 MCD workers were deployed on Tuesday to remove accumulated filth.
“The market sees an influx of more than 60,000-70,000 people every day with the weekend count reaching 200,000. It needs more resources,” he added.
An MCD official from the sanitation department said that it already faces an acute resource and manpower crunch and sanitation services are being extended on the street like other lanes of the Walled City.
Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor said that due to the negligence of PWD department of the Delhi government, the sanitation system in Chandni Chowk has come to a standstill. There are heaps of garbage everywhere and there is a danger of spreading diseases, he said. “Delhi government did not extend the contract of the sanitation contractor on time which has stopped working. We have requested the MCD commissioner to ensure the cleanliness of the main road of Chandni Chowk, working from the point of view of public health,” he added.
Delhi government, however, denied the existence of a showdown between the two agencies – both controlled by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).
“There is no tussle between MCD and PWD regarding the sanitation situation at Chandni Chowk. Both departments are working in coordination to address the issue, and cleaning operations have already resumed. The Delhi government prioritises public health, and any delays have been resolved to ensure that the area is maintained efficiently,” a government spokesperson said.