Taking the city’s civic bodies to task for failing to clear the city of waste materials, the Delhi High Court on Wednesday called the municipalities “non-starters” saying they would start running only after “we whip you from behind”.
Demanding “a perceptible difference in cleanliness” in Delhi, a Bench of justices Badar Durrez Ahmed and Ashutosh Kumar directed municipal and other civic bodies to carry out a second drive to clean the city as the first one, a fortnight-long drive carried out in December, had failed to show the expected results.
“Is Delhi any cleaner? Is the result of cleanliness drive visible to the citizens of Delhi? Conduct another drive. We are not going to spare you,” said the Bench.
10-day initiative
“On December 14, 2016, we had directed a 15-day drive for removal of malba . The results that were expected have not been realised. We direct another drive for a period of ten days,” the Bench ordered.
Loose dirt
The Bench also pointed out that even after the debris and rubble is removed from along the roads, they do not look clean as beneath the rubble is loose earth and the pavements and roads are often not finished... “this adds to pollution as when there is breeze, this loose soil gets into the atmosphere”.
Minor or major?
The MCD counsel stated that this required “minor repair patchwork and cosmetic work” which would be done in sometime.
However, the Bench of the High Court said: “This is not minor. It is most important. Either you make it green or complete it. We are still waiting for that perceptible change in cleanliness of Delhi. When will that change come about?”
