Stink of East Delhi garbage may prove costly for Delhi-BJP in 2019

The mounds of garbage lying on the streets of East Delhi is likely to raise a stink for Bharatiya Janata Party in coming Lok Sabha elections. After sealing, the civic crisis faced by lakhs of residents in the area has become another guillotine for the BJP-ruled Corporation even as it has been passing the buck to the Kejriwal government.

Residents who have been forced to live with thousands of metric tonne garbage as neighbours for more than 20 days now are indignant with the East Delhi Municipal Corporation. They say that the civic body cannot wash its hands of the responsibility of getting the streets cleaned even if the safai karmacharis have struck down work. "We voted them to power in last civic polls and it looks like a mistake now. The mayor has visited only on a few occasions, only to blame the state government for the crisis. The MCD has become a mute spectator to the entire thing," said Asha Kiran Prabha, a resident of Shahdara, which is currently one of the worst affected areas in East Delhi.

Places like Shahdara, Mayur Vihar, Laxmi Nagar, Vinod Nagar have not been cleaned for the past 24 days since the sanitation workers went on indefinite strike over non-payment of salaries among other demands. According to sources, around 4000 metric tonne rubbish is lying on the roads with the workers refusing to clean it and deposit it to dumping grounds. "Earlier the stink from the garbage was only outside. Now it has become difficult to breathe indoors too. Is this why we elected them to power last year?," questions Preeti Rawat of Laxmi Nagar.

EDMC mayor Bipin Bihari Singh has accused the Aam Aadmi Party government of not releasing funds to pay salaries to the workers. However, leaders in Delhi BJP concede to the fact that playing the blame game is not the solution especially when the government is going all out on swachchta. "We already have sealing as a major problem to be addressed during elections. After businessmen, lakhs of residents from east Delhi need to be placated," a senior leader said not wishing to be named. "That the Delhi government is not doing anything is a lame excuse for those who are suffering because of this. The MCD should have found out some alternative measure. We cannot annoy people further as This will cast its shadow on elections," he added.

PERILS

• Shahdara, Mayur Vihar, Laxmi Nagar have not been cleaned for the past 24 days since the sanitation workers went on indefinite strike over non-payment of salaries among other demands   
• Around 4000 metric tonne rubbish is lying on the roads with the workers refusing to clean it and deposit it to dumping grounds