A “demoralised” Delhi High Court on Thursday issued notices to 18 senior officers of the DDA, the SDMC and the Delhi Police asking them to show cause why contempt proceedings should not be initiated against them for continued poor waste management in Dwarka.
A Bench of Justices B.D. Ahmed and Jayant Nath issued show cause notices to the Deputy Commissioner and Assistant commissioner of the SDMC, along with over 10 other officials and 11 senior officials of the DDA who are in-charge of parts of Dwarka.
The Bench was shown photographs taken by petitioner Ebbani Agarwal, a law student, over a week, showing how the big blue bins placed by civic agencies near various societies were overflowing and waste was scattered all over the place with pigs and cattle foraging in it.
Counsel for DDA stated that “issuing show cause notices would be highly demoralising for these officers. They have done substantial work and worked overtime.”
‘Hang or save yourselves’
“You said these officers will be demoralised. I am demoralised. Look at these photographs with pigs roaming around. And these cattle, they will eat up all this waste and plastic and die.... We have given you a long rope [by seeking response to show cause notices]. Either hang yourself or save yourself,” remarked Justice Ahmed.
The DDA had said it could not carry out all of the waste management and disposal in Dwarka as it was “facing a currency crunch and that labour is available only when there is pay”.
