North Delhi civic body focuses on waste disposal, plastic-free markets

Apart from being self-sufficient the North Delhi Municipal Corporation this year made sure that the proposed budget has enough for environment and education. The budget with estimated total income of Rs 8,058 crores against Rs 8,258 crores as expenditure was tabled by standing committee chairperson Veena Virmani. However, the total income include Rs 200 crores as loan. 

In the budget the chairperson has proposed to bring up a biogas plant at Bhalaswa for proper disposal of cow dung, which earlier has been a big struggle for the authorities as the cow dung usually get drained to the Bhalaswa lake. The move will save the lake from the cow dung and will also help generate energy. For the purpose the dairy owners will also be paid 67 paise per-kilo for the cow dung. 

The central government has already provided the North MCD with Rs 300 crore for the project. 

Apart from the biogas plant, Bhalaswa will also be provided with a waste-to-energy plant to process 1,500 metric tonnes of garbage. The corporation will be installing four plants of five metric tonnes of capacity while 40 compactors in Rohini; Civil Lines and Keshavpuram zones have been installed. 

Around 6,000 dustbins of 100-litre capacity have also been placed on both sides of the roads under Swachh Bharat Mission at the cost of Rs 3.78 crore. However, the corporation will be installing four lakh more twin bins of 12-litre capacity.

The corporation will be promoting the cloth bags with the help of NGOs and there are plans to distribute free cloth bags to the visitor of market places in North Delhi. 

In education sector, the corporation has started construction of five multipurpose hall and six swimming pools. While 30 model schools will be equipped with 120 CCTV cameras and 100 schools to have 400 CCTV cameras.    

Over 550 schools will now be equipped with proper hand wash area or wash basin to make sure that students get proper sanitation facilities.