New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday visited the Ghazipur landfill site after he accused the Bharatiya Janata Party of building three garbage mountains and filling the national capital with waste.
Addressing the media from the landfill site, he said: "We can see a mountain of garbage behind us. The BJP has been ruling the Delhi municipal corporation for the past 15 years and they have given Delhi three such mountains of garbage in this period." "They have made the whole of Delhi a garbage dump. The people of Delhi gave them one job, that of cleaning the city," he stressed.
"The BJP is ashamed of its work. In 5 years, we have improved schools. You (BJP) can come and see our schools, hospitals, and mohalla clinics, we won't stop you. You are ashamed of showing what you did for 15 years," CM Kejriwal said as the BJP supporters protested against his visit.
"This mountain of garbage is a mountain of their misdeeds and corruption, the way they have cheated Delhi's people," he remarked as he challenged the BJP of showing its work in 15 years at the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD).
On the allegation of the Delhi government not allocating funds to MCD, CM Kejriwal claimed that the corporation spent Rs 2 lakh crore in 15 years. "Where did this money go," he asked, further saying that the Centre did not "allocate a single paisa" to the MCD.
"It's time to take revenge," the Delhi Chief Minister remarked, stressing that the upcoming MCD poll will be fought on the issues of removing Delhi's garbage and improving the national capital's cleanliness.
In a tweet on Wednesday, Kejriwal wrote in Hindi: "I asked one of their leaders- What work have you done in the municipal corporation in 15 years? He said two things, 1. Build three big garbage mountains 2. Filled whole of Delhi with garbage. Tomorrow morning, I will go to see their Ghazipur garbage mountain. You also join me."
Arvind Kejriwal Politicising The Matter: Delhi BJP President Adesh Gupta
Ahead of Arvind Kejriwal's visit, the supporters of the Aam Aadmi Party and the BJP were seen engaging in a clash. Both AAP and BJP have accused each other of neglecting the landfill sites in the past.
Earlier in the day, Delhi BJP President Adesh Gupta spoke to ABP News and questioned Arvind Kejriwal's visit saying, "He has been heading the Delhi government for eight years. I want to ask him, why did you not think of Delhi's garbage dumps in these eight years? You are also answerable (for the situation)."
The BJP leader accused the Delhi Chief Minister of politicising the matter at a time when the Centre was setting up plants to use the waste to produce energy.
Adesh Gupta further alleged that the AAP national convener "did not intend" to do anything about the issue and was just politicising the matter.
NCT Fined Rs 900 Crores Over Handling Of Legacy Waste Sites In Delhi
Recently, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) held the Government of NCT Delhi liable to pay environmental compensation of Rs. 900 crores in relation to an alleged violation of Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016 in the handling of legacy waste sites in Delhi.
According to news agency ANI, the bench headed by Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel on October 11 stated that it holds the NCT of Delhi liable to pay environmental compensation of Rs. 900 crores having regard to the quantity of undisposed waste which is to the extent of 3 crores Metric Tonnes at three landfill sites. This amount has to be used for restoration measures to recover the land which is 10 times the value.
The dump sites in Delhi and in other cities are like time bombs because they constantly generate explosive gases like methane which may escape through vertical and lateral ways posing a constant threat of explosion, said the Tribunal earlier, as reported by ANI.