On a narrow Shaheen Bagh street dotted with eateries, a strong smell lingers in the air — not from the sizzling kebabs or steaming chai, but from the garbage piled up in a corner. A goat head wrapped in a yellow plastic bag lies among meat bones, close to greasy plastic containers, torn rugs, and empty coffee cups. This isn’t the only garbage pile on High Tension Road in Shaheen Bagh, commonly known as 40-futta, which is a landmark for foodies. Further down, as the lane opens into residential areas, the dump is bigger as flies form a blanket around it. “…It has been five days. no MCD vehicle has shown up to pick up the garbage since Eid on June 7. The trash has been lying here since then,” said a shopkeeper in the area who wished not to be named. Meanwhile, a lady comes out of her house, mindful to cover her face with her dupatta. “We can’t walk without covering our faces, we can smell it even inside our houses,” she said. The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) is responsible for maintaining sanitation in the area, which falls under the Abul Fazal Enclave ward in the Central Zone. However, the contract awarded to Dakshin Dilli Swachh Initiatives Limited (DDSIL)—the private concessionaire tasked with garbage collection in the zone—expired in November 2023 and has since been running on temporary extensions. Due to delays in the constitution of the MCD Standing Committee, an 18-member body without whose approval no proposals exceeding Rs 5 crore can be cleared, the agreement cannot be formally renewed, nor can the pending dues since 2023 be cleared. In response, the concessionaire has halted garbage collection services in protest. This has led to a major sanitation crisis in the Muslim-dominated neighborhoods of the Central Zone. While this is not the first time garbage collection has been disrupted due to the expired contract, the timing, coinciding with Eid celebrations, has turned the situation into a potential health hazard. “The MCD had informed us that they would only send three dippers from June 1. We used to get 9 vehicles daily and three additional ones to manage garbage disposal during Eid, how can we manage with such a small number when my area is Muslim dominated?” said Abul Fazal Enclave Councillor Ariba Khan. “All the machines have worn out and are not suitable for use, but since the tender has expired, DDSIL and MCD don’t even bother to collect the garbage. I had to hire four private vehicles to collect waste post Eid celebrations,” she added. However, this is not an isolated area scarred by poor sanitation. Roughly six kilometres down the road lies Sarita Vihar’s Khizrabad village, which also falls under the Central Zone, where residents had recently staged a protest over the poor sanitation conditions. Across the entrance of the village, Raju runs a tea stall. As he strains the tea to serve MCD workers who spend their afternoons segregating and packing piles of garbage stacked beside the village gate, he is frequently interrupted by swarms of flies. “These are just flies. Two days back, the sky was filled with eagles circling the waste. No one could pass through. Yesterday, a supervisor came and shouted at the workers to clean faster,” he says. Pointing to a broken garbage-collecting vehicle lying amidst the waste, an MCD sanitation worker said, “They fill the containers, but don’t take them for disposal. The company is not working properly.” A DDSIL employee overseeing the cleanup, who wished to remain anonymous, said, “Some vehicles are broken—what can we do? The JCBs are supposed to come at night, but the timings are not fixed. We don’t know much about what happens inside the company.” Narendra Bhidoori, a social worker and village resident, said, “I visited the councillor’s office today. He told me to wait another 10 days since the Standing Committee will be formed tomorrow. But we’re only asking for the garbage to be picked up—is that too much to ask? I’m really worried about my children’s health.” A group of women said they don’t open the doors or curtains of their homes because of the strong smell. Neetu Chaudhary, Councillor of Sarita Vihar ward, could not be contacted. Speaking to The Indian Express, her husband Manish Chaudhary said, “This is a Rs 900-crore tender, which can only be passed once the committee is formed. Once it’s passed, I’ve already completed the paperwork and will request anticipatory approval soon.” When contacted, an MCD spokesperson said the waste would be cleared soon but did not comment on the delay in action.
