Kejriwal commits to cleaning up Delhi's landfills ahead of target

New Delhi, Sep 30 (IANS) Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has reaffirmed his commitment to addressing the longstanding issue of garbage disposal in the city.

He took to X on Saturday, providing an update on the progress of removing garbage from the Bhalswa Landfill site, indicating that the work is advancing at a pace exceeding the set targets.

Kejriwal stated: "We had promised the people of Delhi that we would remove the mountains of garbage present in Delhi. We are engaged in this work day and night." 

He further said that his personal visit to the Bhalswa Landfill site revealed significant advancements in the cleanup efforts. 

According to the initial target, the Delhi government aimed to remove 14 lakh tonnes of garbage from the Bhalswa site by the present date. However, they have already removed 18 lakh tonnes of garbage. 

Looking ahead, the Chief Minister shared the goals, explaining that they intend to eliminate 30 lakh tonnes of garbage by May 2024, exceeding this target by planning to remove 45 lakh tonnes of waste. 

"With its removal, 35 acres of land will become free," he said.

It is worth noting that the Bhalswa Landfill still contains a total of 65 lakh tonnes of garbage, which indicates the scale of the challenge. For which, Kejriwal stated that another agency would be brought in to assist with the cleanup effort in the coming days.

Moreover, Kejriwal said that similar progress is being made at other landfill sites across Delhi. "I will visit there next week," he said.