NEW DELHI: North Delhi Municipal Corporation has taken up the initiative of refurbishing and beautifying community bins that had become a cause of nuisance. The civic body is also installing compacting machines at the rear or corner of the dhalaos to end dumping of waste in the open.
In Rohini (Ward 57), one such dhalao has been redeveloped into a library. In Ward 53, a selfie point has been created by installing artefacts and flowering plants in vacant places around a dhalao, while another site is being developed into a senior citizens’ centre.
Mayor Jai Prakash said more community bins that have a scope for redevelopment were being identified. “At least five such points will be developed in north Delhi. If the space is small, we will develop it into a green corner. This will help mitigate any smell coming from the dhalao. Our staff will ensure that no dumping is done in the open, there is 100% sanitisation and segregated waste is collected through machines, compressed and sent to landfills or waste-to-energy plants,” he said.
On Sunday, Prakash visited the beautified dhalao at Rohini, which has been renamed “Selfie Vatika”, with the deputy commissioner.
Vivek Prakash, deputy commissioner of Rohini zone, said, “The dhalao in Ward 53 was identified three months ago. We decided to first regulate the process for management of garbage. The sanitation staff leveled the uncovered area around the dhalao to develop it into a green spot. Carpet grass and flowering plants were planted, but we decided to decorate the place with artefacts made from waste materials. We created a wooden cart in the middle surrounded by circles made from old PVC pipes. The barricading was also done from waste materials.”
The north civic agency is developing a green zone based on the same concept in Pocket 10, Sector 7 and Sector 3 in Rohini.
“The library was constructed after closing the dhalao in the market in Sector 18, Rohini. Former mayor and councillor Preeti Agarwal provided the books, mostly of competitive exams and school courses. However, the site couldn’t be opened due to the pandemic,” said an official.