Video Editor: Ashutosh Bhardwaj
Video Producer: Aliza Noor
At a time when the main concern of citizens is to keep themselves safe from novel coronavirus, residents of East Delhi’s Dilshad Garden have been dealing with a huge waste problem.
Two weeks after I reported to The Quint the magnitude of the problem, the waste dump has been cleared and a ramp has been constructed at the site as well. On 1 October, an MCD worker was diligently picking all the garbage overflowing out of the dump. This has come as a huge win for the locals who had been complaining about the issue for a long time.
Before.
(Photo Courtesy: Vishal Jha)
‘No Mosquitoes, Pungent Smell Anymore’
Prateek, a shop owner, said, “Our videos were uploaded on The Quint. After that the authorities cleared all the waste. I want to thank The Quint for taking up this issue and getting the waste cleared.
Adding to his point, Vijay, another shop owner in the area, stated that there are “no mosquitoes or pungent smell anymore.”
This was a major complaint of the shop owners as well as the people who passed by.
Vijay, however, has one more demand. He said, “One more thing that we want is that a vehicle is always here so that if there is any waste it stays inside and doesn't spill on the outside.”
The waste dump had posed risk of a lot of diseases as well such as dengue, malaria, etc and the onus of this is on the garbage management system in the area.
Earlier ,on 22 September, in a conversation with The Quint, BS Pawar, the MCD councillor of the Dilshad Garden locality, said they were unaware of the situation and the garbage would be cleaned up as soon as possible.
I had also spoken to BS Pawar regarding this issue. If I talk about the current state of the area then the waste has been cleared and whatever little waste is still there is within the boundaries of the 'kooda ghar.'
I also want to thank The Quint, as through their My Report section I had raised this issue. If not for the media coverage, it would have been difficult to get the media attention it did.
The locals and shop-owners are content now that they don’t have to worry about the waste dump and its impact on their health.
(All ‘My Report' branded stories are submitted by citizen journalists to The Quint. Though The Quint inquires into the claims/allegations from all parties before publishing, the report and the views expressed above are the citizen journalist's own. The Quint neither endorses, nor is responsible for the same.)
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