India News | 'AT DL-GHAZIPUR-ATISHI EDMC Embezzling Funds Meant for Managing Ghazipur Landfill, Alleges Atishi

New Delhi, Apr 13 (PTI) Delhi Assembly's Environment Committee chairperson Atishi on Wednesday accused the East Delhi Municipal Corporation of embezzling funds meant for the management of Ghazipur landfill.

After a massive fire broke out at the landfill on March 28, the panel had asked the civic body to submit details of tenders, recycling plants, composting facilities, trommel machines engaged to clear the landfill, among others.

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Atishi alleged that the East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) did not provide the required information to the panel to "cover up a scam".

The EDMC had earlier told the Environment Committee that it would take at least 10 years at peak performance to clear the Ghazipur landfill.

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According to Atishi, the municipal body had acknowledged that they did not have money, land or an adequate plan to solve the garbage problem at the Ghazipur landfill site.

Commissioned in 1984, the Ghazipur landfill site is spread across 70 acres. In 2019, the garbage dump site had grown 65 metres high.

According to an action plan submitted to the National Green Tribunal, the municipal corporations have to remediate the legacy waste at the Ghazipur landfill by March 2022, Bhalswa by December 2023 and Okhla by March 2023.

As on February 28, 9.03 lakh tonnes of the total 140 lakh tonnes of legacy waste at Ghazipur has been remediated. Last year, authorities reported four incidents of fire at Ghazipur landfill. In 2017, a large part of it broke away, crashing onto a road and killing two people.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)