New Delhi, The national capital generates nearly 15,000 metric tonnes of waste every day, but only 6,000-7,000 metric tonnes could earlier be processed, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said on Saturday as she inaugurated a waste transfer station in Sarita Vihar and launched a drive to deploy 1,000 mechanical litter-picking machines across Delhi.
The government has set up ‘Arpan’ centres near metro stations to collect old clothes for reuse and recycling. The machines will be deployed across all 250 wards of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi , with 50 flagged off in the first phase, according to a government statement. It is also planning immersion kiosks across all 250 MCD wards for the separate collection of broken idols and puja materials. Around 100 such kiosks have already been established, according to the chief minister’s address.
Addressing the gathering, Gupta said waste management remained a major challenge for the national capital and that the government was working on a long-term plan to address the problem. “Waste management is our top priority; the government is working on a long-term plan for the next 15-30 years,” she said. The government is working to set up new waste-to-energy plants, expand the capacity of existing facilities, establish e-waste centres and install biogas plants to process cow dung, she said. The chief minister said the government was providing the MCD with machinery, equipment and funds to strengthen sanitation services, with the aim of ensuring that waste generated each day was processed and disposed of on the same day.
Of the 1,000 battery-operated litter-picking machines planned for the MCD, 150 have arrived, while the remaining machines are expected to be delivered within the next month, according to the government.
