Will clear Bhalswa in one year, Khattar adopts dumpsite

The remediation of Delhi’s three landfills has been repeatedly promised, but little has been achieved on the ground.

Union urban development minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Monday announced that he will “adopt” the Bhalswa landfill site in north Delhi, setting an ambitious target of clearing the decades-old mountain of waste within the coming year.

Biomining began in 2019 following a National Green Tribunal order. (Sanjeev Verma/HT)

“The 15-day national cleanliness campaign will begin on September 17. I will visit Bhalswa that day, accompanied by administrators, to review plans for remediation and processing. The cleanup will be initiated then,” Khattar said at a press conference to launch the “Swachhta hi Sewa” fortnight campaign.

The minister acknowledged that lack of space for waste processing has long hindered progress and said he has asked the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) to identify 5-10 acres of land to accommodate fresh waste.

“When new garbage keeps getting dumped, the progress slows. It becomes a saint’s bowl – the more you remove, the more it fills up,” he said. Similar land pockets, he added, were being considered for Ghazipur and Okhla, the Capital’s other two landfill sites.

To be sure, the remediation of Delhi’s three landfills has been repeatedly promised, but little has been achieved on the ground. Biomining began in 2019 following a National Green Tribunal order that directed legacy waste to be cleared within a year, with “substantial progress” in six months. Instead, constant dumping of fresh waste, logistical hurdles and missed deadlines have slowed efforts.

“I have seen Bhalswa for the last 15 years while travelling from Karnal to Delhi,” Khattar said. “I have resolved that I will take all agencies along and ensure it is cleared in one year.”

Khattar said that out of nearly 1,500 dumpsites across India, many have already been cleared under an accelerated programme. “More than 50% of legacy waste has been removed. We provided over ₹1,000 crore to states. More than 1,200 sites have been cleared and large swathes of valuable land recovered,” he said.

At Bhalswa alone, he added, around 70 acres can be reclaimed – 20 acres for processing units and the rest for greening and social use.

He said a review meeting was held last week with Delhi officials to iron out challenges. The minister stressed that earlier deadlines in Delhi were missed due to rains, local protests and coordination issues. The fresh plan, he said, would be backed by “clear targets and accountability.”

The Union minister also urged political leaders and citizens to play a larger role. “We have appealed to leaders, politicians, and people who want to contribute -- they should take responsibility for one dumpsite and ensure resources from NGOs and administration are mobilised for quicker disposal,” he said.

Khattar linked the landfill clearance to the wider Swachhta hi Sewa campaign, under which cities are identifying Cleanliness Target Units (CTUs) -- dark spots, neglected areas, railway stations, riverbanks, back lanes and heavily littered zones needing intensive cleaning. “Cleanliness and beauty go hand in hand. These CTUs will directly impact visible cleanliness,” he said.

On penalties for littering, Khattar took a cautious stance. “Sociologically, fines work only if the violators are few. When 90% are violators, how many can be caught? Values are important. People don’t spit in the metro, but they do in trains. It’s a long process,” he said.