‘Raat bhar gaadiyaan lagti hai’: Residents of Delhi’s Okhla complain of illegal dumping of construction waste

“This waste is dumped by private vehicles. I don’t know where they come from. You see my car, it gets all dusty within a few hours… There is too much pollution here,” he added.

Earlier this month, Sunil Kumar (30), another resident from the area, filed a complaint on the L-G portal as he flagged, “Illegal dumping of C&D waste from vehicles outside Delhi is being carried out.”

Three days later, on September 6, MCD Junior Engineer of ward 178, Sandeep Singh, submitted a written complaint to the local police station, addressing the SHO. He requested that an “FIR be registered without delay against known vehicle owners and drivers involved and vehicles be seized immediately.”

In response to the complaint, on September 18, the SHO sent a reply letter to the JE, stating that “the matter has been duly noted”, said officials.

“The concerned beat staff has been briefed and instructed to maintain vigilant surveillance over the said location and to take appropriate legal action against any violation observed. Necessary steps are being taken to ensure compliance with the relevant laws,” the letter read.
A senior MCD official at the Civic centre headquarters said, “The waste will be picked up soon. There are 106 designated sites across 12 MCD zones for C&D waste and it cannot be dumped anywhere else.”

MCD Commissioner Ashwani Kumar did not respond to calls and text messages sent by The Indian Express.

Kusum (57), who owns a tea stall in the area, said that the violations have continued amid assurances from officials. She said the mounds initially started piling up at one corner of the road where she has her tea shop but have now reached the other corner.

“The drivers come at night. When I complained once, they said these piles will be removed,” she said.

When The Indian Express visited the site, around eight mounds — with cement bags, wooden ply, plastic waste, stone slabs and other waste — could be seen occupying the road. An electricity transformer has suffered damage due to the piled up waste, according to residents.

“Half of the road is closed. If a school bus comes here, there is no space for children to get down. Police also come and do nothing, what will the poor do?,” questioned another resident Ritik Kashyap (26). He claimed that the illegal practice had been going on for at least two months.
Other residents claim they started noticing this ‘illegal’ activity when pollution levels rose, and vehicles started lining up the road round-the-clock.

A few kilometres away, dumps of C&D waste could be seen at another MCD-designated dhalao. Some shop owners claimed that the civic officials were aware of the illegal dumping and were complicit in the matter. However, the MCD officials said that such violations are not tolerated.