BJP claims work to clear Delhi's Ghazipur, Okhla landfills at standstill for 8 months, demands explanation from Kejriwal

The Delhi BJP on Saturday claimed garbage removal from Ghazipur and Okhla landfill sites has been stalled for eight months and demanded that Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal explain why.

Ahead of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) polls, the BJP said, the AAP had promised to rid the capital of the 'garbage mountains' but they have only been growing in size since the Kejriwal-led party assumed charge of the civic body.

The BJP's attack came hours after Kejriwal visited the Bhalswa landfill site and said about 45 lakh tonnes of waste from it is expected to be processed and reduced by May next year.

Once the waste gets reduced, he said, 35 acres of land will be reclaimed and can be used in multiple ways.

There are three landfill sites in Delhi located at Okhla, Bhalswa and Ghazipur.

Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva visited the Ghazipur landfill site and said Kejriwal has repeatedly undertaken 'political tours' to the dumping yard.

However, garbage removal from Ghazipur and Okhla landfill sites has been stalled for the last eight months, he claimed.

'The chief minister should show if he has held even one meeting in the last eight months regarding removal of garbage from the landfill sites, especially Ghazipur and Okhla where the work has been at a standstill,' Sachdeva said at a press conference.

The AAP used to allege corruption in clearing of the landfill sites but it has not been doing any work after winning the MCD elections.

'Ahead of the 2022 MCD polls, the AAP made tall promises about removing garbage from the Ghazipur landfill site but the work almost came to a standstill after it won the elections,' he alleged.

Leader of Opposition in Delhi Assembly Ramvir Singh Bidhuri accused Kejriwal of indulging in politics over the 'garbage mountains' in the city.

'The AAP under Kejriwal's leadership has been in control of the municipal corporation for nearly 10 months but it has not yet taken any significant steps in this direction,' Bidhuri said.

The AAP had promised to rid the city of the 'garbage mountains' and had said these would be gone within a year, he said.

According to the AAP's promise, the garbage mountains in Ghazipur, Bhalswa and Okhla should be gone by January 1, 2024 but instead, they have been continuously growing in size, the BJP leader claimed.