Roadside silt: Civic bodies begin action after LG’s directions

New Delhi: Following Lieutenant governor VK Saxena's directions to road-owning and civic agencies — Municipal Corporation of Delhi, Public Works Department, New Delhi Municipal Council, etc — on Sept 23 to undertake a dust-free Delhi drive, MCD managed to remove 1,654 metric tonnes of silt and construction and demolition (C&D) waste from the roadsides on Sept 24 and 25, Raj Niwas officials said on Thursday.Officials said the reports from MCD and other agencies to the LG secretariat have underlined that huge quantities of silt and C&D waste have accumulated, making the task of comprehensively removing it "extremely difficult and challenging"."MCD removed 405 MT of such waste on Sept 24 and 1,249 MT on Sept 25 from its 12 zones. The waste removed has been duly deposited at the dumping sites, where it will be reprocessed for successful bio-remediation," said a Raj Niwas official, adding that a beginning had been made, but the task ahead was "extremely daunting".In a meeting organised on Sept 20 to review the issue of air pollution in the capital, the LG had emphasised advance preparation to mitigate it. He had directed the MCD, PWD, NDMC, irrigation and flood control department, and Delhi Jal Board to take up an intensive dust-free Delhi drive over the next 7-10 days, and later convert the same into a year-long campaign.In his communication to the agencies, the LG pointed out that pollution caused by road dust was one of the two major contributors to air pollution in Delhi, and with monsoon now receding, dried up mud and silt accumulated on roadsides was causing major air pollution.
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