New Delhi: Delhi is planning three fresh-waste processing plants with a combined stated capacity of 2,900 tonnes a day, as Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said clearing old landfill waste must be matched by processing daily arrivals to prevent new garbage mountains.
Gupta virtually laid the foundation stones from the Okhla landfill site for plants at Okhla, Singhola and Ghazipur under the Seva Sankalp campaign. A separate 300-tonne-per-day biogas plant at Ghazipur was also announced for biodegradable waste, with the initiative linked to efforts to keep the Yamuna clean.
Fresh-waste capacity at three locations
- Okhla: 1,400 tonnes per day.
- Singhola: 700 tonnes per day.
- Ghazipur: 800 tonnes per day.
- Ghazipur biogas plant: 300 tonnes per day of biodegradable waste.
The three fresh-waste plant capacities listed in the announcement total 2,900 tonnes a day. Mayor Pravesh Wahi, in his remarks at the event, referred to 3,000 tonnes a day of new-waste processing capacity. The announcement did not explain the difference between the two figures or specify a commissioning date for the plants.
Processing daily arrivals alongside buried waste
During her inspection of Okhla, Gupta reviewed the current disposal work, available land and capacity of new processing facilities with officials. She directed them to strengthen arrangements for the waste arriving each day alongside scientific disposal of old waste accumulated beneath the surface, saying removing only the upper layers was insufficient.
She asked officials to make the new processing units functional at full capacity as soon as possible so that landfill land could be used effectively. The government, she said, was working simultaneously on scientific waste management, waste-to-resource initiatives and renewable energy.
Gupta said 217.17 lakh metric tonnes of waste had been disposed of at Okhla, Bhalswa and Ghazipur over approximately a year and a half, freeing around 100 acres of land. These figures were presented as the government’s account of the cleanup work.
Describing the photograph taken at the site as a final selfie with the garbage mountain, the chief minister pledged to eliminate the mountains in 2026 and prevent new ones from forming.
Three-acre park proposed on cleared land
Wahi said an area visible beside the event stage had been a garbage mountain two months earlier and that disposal work had accelerated following the chief minister’s previous visit. A park would now be developed on three acres in line with her vision, he said.
The mayor also said boxes had been installed to collect damaged idols and worship materials. He thanked the Delhi government for supporting MCD’s sanitation work with resources including mechanical road-sweeping machines and auto-tippers.
Urban Development Minister Ashish Sood said processing facilities with capacity exceeding Delhi’s daily waste generation could address the city’s waste problem. He said the government was pursuing solutions to longstanding problems, including legacy waste, instead of political blame-trading, and described Delhi as a shared responsibility.
Kotla Mubarakpur maternity centre inaugurated
Gupta also virtually inaugurated the newly built maternity and child centre at Kotla Mubarakpur during the programme.
Those present included Deputy Mayor Dr Monika Pant, Standing Committee Chairperson Satya Sharma, vice-chairperson Satyapal Singh, Leader of the House Jai Bhagwan Yadav, DEMS Committee Chairperson Sandeep Kapoor and South East Zone Ward Committee Chairperson Neetu Chaudhary, along with councillors.
MCD Commissioner Sanjeev Khirwar, Additional Commissioner Leeladhar Meghwal, South East Zone Deputy Commissioner Sachin Gupta, Engineer-in-Chief K. K. Sharma and other corporation officials also attended.
