The North Delhi Municipal Corporation has proposed to demolish the abandoned dhalaos under its jurisdiction and hand them over to Resident Welfare Associations and NGOs who will utilise the space for public services. A decision in this regard was taken at the standing committee meeting on Wednesday.
“Plenty of dhalaos have shut because they have been replaced by fixed compactor transfer stations (FCTS). This move has been taken for NGOs or any organisation that works for the public benefit to convert and maintain the space for a period of five years. We will not charge them anything,” Jogi Ram Jain, chairman of the standing committee, said. Mr. Jain also said that the space can be converted into public libraries or community kitchens.
According to the data provided by the civic body, 246 dhalaos have been closed till date. The municipal body has estimated that 100 more will be closed by December. About 4,500 metric tonnes of solid waste is collected every day. Currently, construction of FCTS is under way in three zones: Karol Bagh, City-SP, and Narela.
Prior to commencement of the standing committee meeting, contractual sanitation workers and cleaners, known as nala beldars , held a sit-in at the corporation building demanding that their job be made permanent.
A protester said some of them have been waiting since 2003 and that four of the protestors have died over the years.
He said, “Being a temporary worker only pays you ₹12,000 a month. How can I raise my children with this amount? We have been patient but it has been a long time.”
Mr. Jain said that the municipal body is currently focusing on making safai karamcharis permanent and that nala beldars will also be given permanent status simultaneously.
“The reason behind the delay is the shortage of funds from our end. If the revenues improve, then a lot of these issues would be solved,” Mr. Jain said.