CM Rekha Gupta Inspects Okhla Landfill Site, Stresses Scientific Waste Management to Free Delhi from ‘Mountains of Garbage’

New Delhi- Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Saturday visited the Okhla landfill site to assess the situation on the ground. During the visit, she held detailed discussions with officials on the current status of waste disposal, the area available at the site and the capacity of the new processing facilities.

The Chief Minister said the mountains of garbage that have accumulated in Delhi over the years due to prolonged neglect are now being reduced rapidly through the government’s sustained efforts. She said the government’s objective is not only to clear legacy waste but also to scientifically process fresh waste and prevent it from turning into another mountain of garbage.

She said that with this objective, the capacity of new processing facilities is being increased. Over the past around 18 months, 217.17 lakh metric tonnes of waste have been disposed of at the Okhla, Bhalswa and Ghazipur landfill sites, freeing nearly 100 acres of land. With the commissioning of new plants, the pace of scientific processing and disposal of waste will be further increased.

Focus on preventing new waste from becoming garbage mountains

Reviewing the site, the Chief Minister made it clear to officials that merely removing the waste lying on the surface would not be enough. Along with scientifically disposing of the old waste accumulated underneath, the system for processing the fresh waste coming in every day must also be strengthened immediately. She directed officials to make the new processing units fully operational at the earliest and at their full capacity so that the landfill site’s land can be put to effective use.

Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said the government is working simultaneously on increasing processing capacity, scientific waste management, waste-to-resource and renewable energy to make Delhi cleaner and better. She said the government is committed to gradually eliminating the mountains of garbage that have been a part of Delhi’s identity for years and building a clean, beautiful and sustainable Delhi.