New Delhi, 13 October (H.S.): The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) on Tuesday launched a special cleanliness drive in areas affected by protests in the national capital. NDMC Vice-Chairman Kuljeet Singh Chahal and Council Member Anil Valmiki participated in the campaign alongside Health Department officials, employees and a large number of sanitation workers.

The drive covered areas around Mandi House, including locations outside the embassies of Nepal and Iran, which had been affected by the protests. More than 300 metric tonnes of waste was reportedly collected daily during the period of the demonstrations.

Speaking on the occasion, Kuljeet Singh Chahal said the NDMC area encompassed Parliament House, major government offices, diplomatic missions, residences of VVIPs, prominent hotels and schools. Senior officials, government employees, diplomats, students, tourists and visitors from India and abroad travel through the area every day. Therefore, maintaining cleanliness, safety and proper civic order in the area was one of the NDMC’s primary responsibilities.

Chahal said the council had received complaints about litter and waste accumulation in areas affected by the protests. Taking these complaints seriously, the NDMC immediately launched a special cleanliness drive to ensure that ordinary citizens, traders, visitors to diplomatic missions and schoolchildren did not face inconvenience.

He explained that the protests, which began on October 7, had resulted in greater-than-usual waste accumulation around Mandi House, Jantar Mantar, Janpath and Connaught Place. According to weight records from the NDMC’s waste-collection vehicles, the volume of waste collected daily up to October 13 was higher than on normal days.

Chahal further stated that government and public property, along with civic amenities, had suffered damage during the protests. Green belts, trees, plants and footpaths had been damaged at several locations, while vandalism had also been reported in some public toilets.

He added that posters pasted on walls and slogans written on public surfaces had adversely affected the cleanliness and visual appeal of public spaces. Large quantities of food packets, rotis and other food items were also found scattered at several locations.

The NDMC has increased the deployment of sanitation workers by approximately 50 per cent at protest sites and in surrounding areas to address the additional cleaning requirements.

Chahal appealed to citizens not to damage government or public property, to dispose of waste only at designated locations and to cooperate with the authorities in maintaining cleanliness in their surroundings.

---------------

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar